Mad Times
by AlessNox
Summary: WARNING: MATURE THEMES. Life is full of chaos for Maddy. Sherlock is back, expecting Maddy to resume her job even though she has a new life and a new baby. John is becoming more and more depressed, and Mycroft has started pressing her for dates, not to mention their discovery of a group that is abducting children. It was easier being homeless. A Maddy story I
1. Chapter 1

For Maddy life was full of surprises. She had gone from under-aged and homeless on the streets of a foreign city, to fiancé of one of the most important men in the British government, to culinary student and single mother in Manchester. You'd think that she'd be used to surprises by now, but finding the message from Sherlock on her phone threw her for a loop even though in some sense she had been expecting it.

Sherlock Holmes was reactivating the homeless network. What did it mean for her now that she was no longer homeless?

In one sense, you could say that she was homeless in London, for although John Watson had most graciously let her and her infant child, Eliza, stay over for the winter holidays, her flat was far away in Manchester. She read the message again.

**[Yellowsubmarine. Network reactivation. Contact me at once.]**

It was dated December 30. She ran through the other messages rapidly and then texted the reactivation code that they had agreed on.

**[YOKO]**

The reply was rapid.

**[Where are you? 0]**

_**[At 221B visiting John like you told me. Are you still in Manchester?]**_

**[Do not discuss locations on insecure lines. 0]**

_**[are you coming back? Should I tell John?]**_

**[No, under no circumstances tell John. And delete these messages after reading. 0]**

_**[why?]**_

**[You are being watched.]**

_"Of course we're being watched!" _Maddy thought. Mycroft had probably assigned a team to watch her on the cctv cameras, that wasn't even counting her own spy Shawn who she had hired to watch John before Eliza's accident. Did he mean that there was a third group watching them? She wondered if they would trip over each other each trying to get the best view.

**[You are being an ass. You should tell John.]**

Long pause.

**[Meet me tonight where we talked last. Same time as the last meeting. 0]**

Maddy walked over and sat on the bed. Midnight. They had last met at midnight. Sherlock had led her to an attic where they had talked of John, and slept. He had left the county the next day under a false passport on a mission to hunt down all of the members of Moriarty's network in order to protect John and the other people that he loved.

She had promised to watch over John, although at the time she'd had only twenty pounds to her name, and no permanent abode. An impossible task, but somehow, she had been unable to ignore it. Even now, the one thing that kept her from chucking the phone and taking a bus back to Manchester with her baby, was a sinking concern that John was not taking Sherlock's loss well.

That night with the gun. He had said that holding a gun made him feel more secure. Well it made her feel really scared that he'd be thinking that his head might make a good target. What a tragedy it would be if Sherlock Holmes finally returned to his flat to find that the friend he had worked so hard to save was dead out of grief for him. Okay, it wasn't really that likely, but the fact that it was possible froze her blood every time she stood on the doorstep and tried to leave.

Sherlock had asked the impossible then. He asked the impossible now. How was she supposed to sneak out of here to meet him at midnight. She had a baby. She would have to get a sitter. What was she supposed to say? _"Mrs Hudson please watch the baby tonight while I go to secretly meet Sherlock."_

Besides, as he said, they were being watched. She knew that Mycroft's people would be watching. They might even be tailing her, and she was no cloak and dagger person. She certainly couldn't evade them while carrying Eliza. Before, when she was truly homeless, she didn't have such problems. She was invisible. Maybe she could be invisible again.

Maddy pulled out her phone and called her friend Abby who ran the homeless shelter.

"Maddy!" she said, "I got a call from that woman, Mrs. Holmes, and she's going to help us do fundraising. She said that you put her up to it. You've got to come by and let me thank you properly. I've got tea and biscuits."

"Oh Abby, don't worry about it...but now that you mention it, I think that I will come by tonight. Will you be there at ten o clock?"

"Of course, where else do I go? It's not as if I have a life outside of the shelter." Abby said laughing nervously, "See you soon."

"I'll be there." Maddy said closing the connection. She read over the messages on her phone one more time before deleting each one. Then she heard the sound of the outer door opening and John's heavy footsteps on the stairs. She left the room and walked downstairs. She found him in the kitchen putting a carton of milk in the fridge.

"So Maddy, are you off tomorrow for Manchester?"

"That's what I came to talk to you about," Maddy said, "My friend Abby who runs the homeless shelter where I used to live, she has a bit of an emergency and needs me to stay overnight. I was wondering if I can stay here a bit longer."

"Stay as long as you like Maddy," John said, "The room is empty, and you are a remarkably easy house guest. You even make me cupcakes."

"But the baby..."

"Is not half as annoying as Sherlock was on his violin. Maddy...really, it's fine."

"Thank you, John. You are certainly a gentleman. Namaste." She clapped her hands together and bowed.

"What's all that?" John asked.

"Just something we used to do back home. I'm just very grateful."

John smiled and turned back to put on the kettle.

Maddy went downstairs and told Mrs. Hudson who was more than happy to take Eliza overnight, then she went upstairs and pulled out her breast pump. She didn't know how many late nights there would be now that Sherlock was back.

In the dark of evening, a figure in a brown hoody walked out of the back door of the homeless shelter headed for the river. Maddy had enjoyed a nice cup of tea and biscuits with Abby who seemed much more optimistic than she had at their last meeting. She had told her that she wanted a bit of a walk around for old times sake, and asked to borrow some clothes. Abby had narrowed her eyes at that, no one felt nostalgic about starving on the street, but she was a good friend so she had helped her sneak out, and she would give her a solid alibi if anyone called. Old runaways have got to watch out for each other afterall.

Maddy stuck to the shadows. She climbed under the bridge and waited see if she was being followed. In the end, she concluded that she had slipped any pursuit and she took a careful route to the apartment building where she had last seen Sherlock.

She walked through the door, and then waited behind it for five minutes as they had done the last time, arriving in the closet a few minutes past the hour. She climbed the ladder into the attic, the hum of the fans loud in her ears as her eyes adjusted to the dark room lit only by the city lights which spilled in through louvered window openings.

A man stepped out silhouetted by the light. They stared at each other,

"Sherlock?" she asked unsure.

The man walked forward, the glow from the room below casting light on his black curls and his short goatee, "Maddy, we meet again," Sherlock Holmes said.


	2. Chapter 2

Sherlock and Maddy sat on the floor near the window, their faces illuminated by the city glow. He was dressed as a workman in rough black trousers with grey shoes. A folded neon yellow jacket lay nearby. His eyes looked over Maddy deducing her. She guessed that he could deduce how John was feeling from the creases in her shirt and the sand in her eye.

Maddy pushed a small paper bag across to Sherlock.

He looked down at it. "More cookies?"

"Blueberry muffins," Maddy said, "you don't eat enough. John would worry." The corner of his eye softened at the word 'John'.

He seemed to battle with himself for a moment, and then he asked, "How is John?"

"He's better...and worse. He's become harder to read. Look, whatever it is you are doing, you need to finish it fast before John does harm to himself."

"Harm?"

"He carries his gun in his hand saying that it makes him feel better to hold it. Well, where I come from, having a gun means being willing to use it, and who does he have to use it on. Come home, before it's too late."

Maddy could see how Sherlock's breathing sharpened at some parts of her speech, but otherwise he sat still, silently listening to her. "It's not time yet," he said, "I can not come back to Baker Street. I have traveled the world destroying Moriarty's organization and it is gone except for those few that live here in London, and I fear that these are among the toughest of all of Moriarty's followers. To beat them will require as much help as I can gather. I need you, Maddy. I need you to keep working for me."

"It may have escaped your notice, Mr. Holmes, but I have a baby to take care of. I can't run around town looking for kidnappers and murderers like I once did. I don't even live in London anymore. In a few days, I'll be going back to Manchester to continue school."

"You can't go. I need you where you are."

"I have to go. I have a meeting with the Dean next Wednesday."

"I don't care. I left this for last because here I have the greatest chance for discovery, and once I am discovered, John will be in danger."

"And so what do you want me to do about it? Throw myself and my infant daughter in front of a bullet for John? I told Mycroft that you would never ask so much of your operatives. Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps we are just chess pieces to you. Things without souls. People that don't matter."

"Maddy. Please don't be so emotional. I need you where you are because I need to be able to contact John in an emergency. You are already inside. No one suspects you. That is why I need you to stay here. If I sense danger, I will warn you to flee as well as him. However, if my enemies suspect that I am alive. If they suspect that he knows that I am alive, he will not live out the day. Do you understand me Maddy?"

Maddy bowed her head. She remembered what it felt like when she thought that Eliza would die. She could sense some of that panic in Sherlock's voice now. "Alright." Maddy said, "I'll stay for another week, but I can't stay here forever. Classes start soon. I have my own life you know."

"Thank you," Sherlock said, and they sat in the dim light just listening to the sound of the fans.

Then Maddy held out her palm. "Give me one of those muffins will you? All of this cloak and dagger stuff has made me hungry." Sherlock reached over and opened the bag, rolling down the edge before passing it to her. She pulled out a muffin. "They were better warm, but they're fresh enough," she said, "I made them after I got your text. Luckily I had my favorite cookbook up in my room."

"Up?" Sherlock asked, "are you staying in John's room? Where is he sleeping on the couch?"

"No silly," Maddy said, "He sleeps in your room now. He's been doing it for months."

"My room!" Sherlock said peevishly, "who said that he could have my room?"

"It's not your room anymore. You're a dead man! Remember?"

"John can't have my room. Where will I sleep?"

"I suppose that you can take his."

"Impossible. I'd be too far from my experiments. You must find a way to get him out of my room."

"What?"

"Get John to move out of my room."

"No, besides, where will he go, I'm in his room."

"Move in with Mrs. Hudson, I don't care. Just get him out."

Maddy sighed. "Is there more? I need to get back to the shelter before my absence is noticed."

"Just the new codes," he said, "give me your phone." Maddy handed Sherlock her phone, and they spent the next few minutes talking of code words and contingencies.

Maddy walked toward the hatch. She turned back to him, "Will we meet here next time?"

"No, next time will be the alley, that is if there is a next time." Maddy turned sharply and looked into his eyes. For a moment, she had forgotten the world that he lived in. It was a world where death was common. Abud had been there less than a month, ending up with a bullet in his brain. This could indeed be the last time that she ever saw Sherlock Holmes alive.

"I'll watch over him," Maddy promised although she had no right to say it, "I'll keep him safe." Then she climbed down the ladder into the light of the room below leaving Sherlock Holmes in darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

With a slow step Maddy walked out of the homeless shelter early that morning. She wasn't the only one awake before the sun. Being an early riser was a survival skill on the streets, but most of the homeless decided to hang around inside until breakfast was served, so Maddy was alone as she walked out of the door and down the ramp with the metal and wooden railing that had somehow survived the fire. Despite the newness of the place, the railing was riddled with marks and carvings. Maddy read them absently as her fingers trailed across the surface of the polished wood. She stopped a moment at one that read _Rest in peace Catherine. We miss you,_ before continuing her way to the street.

She walked down the lonely roadside. It had rained in the night, and the lamplight reflected off the water in golden shimmers as her boots splashed through the puddles. Sherlock had made a comment on her boots tonight. The hoody, he had admitted, looked like her old self, perfectly normal for a homeless woman, but the boots, they were too new. Anyone with half an eye could have known by her boots alone that she was not homeless. She had said that although she wasn't homeless anymore, she still wasn't so well off that she could have several pairs of shoes stashed in case she needed to suddenly put on a disguise, but she took his words to heart anyway. She took everything that he said to heart. She didn't know why.

As she turned down a road between an abandoned factory and a warehouse, Maddy heard a car turn the corner behind her. Maddy had always had a fear of slow moving cars. It had started before she had even come to England. Her friend Vi's boyfriend had a liking for gangster movies, and thus she associated slow moving cars with drive-by shootings of the movie variety which often meant semiautomatic machine guns and thugs wearing chains. Although this was very unlikely, she took the opportunity to turn off the road at the first turning possible which happened to be an alley. It was a dead end.

Maddy found what shelter she could in an old bricked up doorway as she waited for the car to pass. It drove slowly beside the alley and stopped, blocking the exit entirely. Maddy sucked in a breath and reached her hand down into her pocket to pull out her phone. She had to turn it on, and was distressed by the annoyingly loud music it played as it started. She flattened herself further against the door as the car window slowly rolled down. Here was when the machine gun would come out.

"Maddy," Mycroft called, "stop hiding and come along."

Maddy peered out past the doorframe to stare at Mycroft as a beep from her phone announced that she had received a text. She opened it :

**[He came home 7, take out delivered 8. Quiet] **

Maddy dropped the phone back into her pocket and walked toward the black car. Tom walked around opening the door for her and she climbed inside to sit in the warm plush interior. She remembered the feeling fondly.

She turned her head to see that Mycroft was smiling at her. "Maddy, good morning. How was your stay at the shelter?"

"It was good," Maddy said, "I was helping out an old friend."

"I see, although it is customary for the friend to ask you if they need help rather than the other way. Why would you suddenly wish to visit her now, I wonder?"

"Mycroft," Maddy asked, "Why are you here? I thought that I was going to set the conditions for our next date."

"Who said that this was a date?" Mycroft said, "We still need to discuss our arrangements for Eliza. I had time in my schedule for a meeting, and you were otherwise unburdened, so I felt that this would be appropriate. Don't you agree."

Maddy snorted and turned away slightly as Mycroft fiddled absentmindedly with his umbrella handle. "Besides," he said, "you haven't stated any conditions yet, so I cannot be violating them. I hope that you are still hungry after eating blueberry bread, or was it an American style muffin? A strange thing to be serving at a homeless shelter in Britain isn't it. But pardon me, Maddy, that was rude. What I wished to say is that it is always a pleasure to spend more time with you."

"I see that your brother is not the only one who enjoys deducing," Maddy said, "let me try. You have a cabinet meeting today, and you've just solved something relatively big, so when you heard that I had gone to the shelter, you made arrangements to whisk me off before you went to work."

Mycroft's eyes flashed. "And why do you think that?" he asked.

"Because of your shoes, and your tie, and the fact that you would not be here now if you had woken to your alarm at your usual time. You haven't been to bed tonight. So it was a big problem, but you've smiled at me three times since I arrived, and you chose to wear your optimistic clothes, so you've solved it. Well, how did I do?"

"Madeline, you are a wonder," Mycroft said with a smile. "And look, we're here."

Tom opened the door, and they climbed out into another brick-lined alley, varying from the alley that she had stood in before only in the fact that it was slightly better kept up, and the doors lacked graffiti. They entered a nondescript building with boring white halls taking the service elevator up to a card-locked office with no visible markings other than a number 933.

The room that she entered was carpeted in light green. A round white tablecloth topped a table glowing with silver trays and glass canisters of chilled water and orange juice. It stood in the middle of a room surrounded by windows which gave a magnificent view of the city lights.

Mycroft pulled out her chair and pushed it in for her before removing the silver lids and sitting down. "Help yourself," he said reaching out to pour water into two crystal glasses. "Would you care for some juice?"

"Thank you," she said letting him pour for her. She turned her head and looked out on the city, thinking of what it felt like to believe that one was on top of it all. Those on the top didn't really understand what went on at the bottom, down in the dark where Sherlock was right now. Neither did they truly understand those in the middle. The cogs who just worked trying to make the best of their limited lives. Trying to make something to pass on to their children in a world that seemed increasingly arbitrary and unknowable.

She leaned back and sipped her juice. Who had set up this table, she wondered? Whose office had it been before. Had some middle class worker once sat at the same spot where she was now, looking out of the window and thinking of her son and his next football match. She shook her head and leaned over to fill her plate.

Much later, she lay in her bed at home looking up at the C shaped crack in the ceiling and wondering about life and her place in it. She had never been one for philosophy. It sounded like gobbledygook to her, but she sometimes found it difficult to get her mind around the different worlds that she was interacting in.

John lived in a world where Sherlock was dead. He was sleepwalking through life, putting in a minimum effort because he felt that his best days were gone. Sherlock was living under a fake name. Hiding in plain sight in a huge impersonal city, and plotting the downfall of men who believed that they ran the world.

If there was anyone likely to actually be running the world, that would be Mycroft, but he had eaten breakfast with her this morning, listening as she explained to him the history of American quickbreads and its crowning achievement, the yellow butter cake. His smile had made a regular appearance at that meeting.

Mycroft had agreed to all of her conditions for dating:

**1) He must dress in clothing appropriate for a middle class person on a date. Clothes that would not stand out in the kind of places that they would be going.**

She had thought that he would balk at this, but he only smirked as if he had predicted it and was secretly looking forward to it.

**2) He would not come in a chauffeured car. Public transportation would be fine.**

He had snorted at her suggestion that he hire a cab by assuring her that he did have a driver's licence, and he was perfectly able to drive a car himself.

**3) He should come alone without the host of security guards that normally watched him.**

There was some balking at this requirement.

He said,_ "Ever since the last time that I purposely escaped the security net. The one where, you will remember, we were both captured by an insane anarchist, many of those in power are quite insistent that my whereabouts are always known. I may, however, be able to make arrangements that as long as properly bugged, we will not have to be directly visible to their surveillance "_

**4) I must get home at a reasonable time so that I can take care of Eliza. No trips to other countries or long weekends.**

Mycroft had wholeheartedly agreed to this stipulation as he did not wish to disrupt his busy work schedule. Maddy would have been insulted if she hadn't known Mycroft so well.

They had a date planned for the day after tomorrow. She had felt calm and in control as she climbed back into the car. She reached out and placed her hand over Mycroft's. The city was waking around them and she marveled at the beauty of it all. How everyone fit together, making things run. She commented as much to Mycroft and the softness of his eyes at her words suggested that he felt that she must truly understand a bit of his heart. He had bent over and kissed her.

When she parted from him, she realized that Tom had been holding the door open for her. She hadn't noticed the car stopping. She didn't know how long that he had stood there, she only knew that Mycroft Holmes still had the power to curl her toes.

Maddy climbed out of the car waving at him before going inside. She knocked on Mrs Hudson's door and went in to give Eliza her breakfast.


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you mean, I'm the director?"

"You are the director of the charity. It makes sense. It was your idea after all."

"But I don't know the first thing about running a charity."

"I'll handle all of the paperwork," Mummy Holmes said, "you just need to talk to people. Tell them about why we want the money."

"But I can't do that. I'm not trained to do that. I can't run a charity."

"Nonsense Madeline, you were a big hit at the Knight's Ball last year. I still hear people raving about you. You are very personable, you know. Also, I can't imagine a better instructor than Mrs. Winslow, and she said that you were an excellent study. This is not outside your abilities."

"But it would be so much better if you went to the function."

"Come to London? For a social event? Dear, I haven't been to London in fourteen years, I hate London. I've spent quite enough time locked into that mansion, thank you very much. It's up to you, or no one. Now don't worry so much Madeline. I've made you an appointment with my tailor. Go there tomorrow."

"But I ... I'm afraid," Maddy said.

"Darling, you will make a big splash. You're young and attractive, and you are very charming. Besides the fact that you were once homeless will only lend credence to your cause. Most of those people wouldn't know want if it bit them in the face. And you don't need to go alone. You can take Mycroft, no he won't go, take Dr. Watson with you. He seems to be very adaptable. The reservation is for one PM. Don't be late."

Maddy sat listening to the dial tone before placing Mrs Hudson's phone back on the handle.

"What's wrong, dear?" Mrs. Hudson asked bouncing Eliza on her hip. The one that didn't hurt.

"I'm going to a charity function this weekend, as the director of the new Holmes Homeless Foundation. A charity that supports the maintenance of Homeless shelters," Maddy said quickly.

"That's wonderful!" Mrs Hudson cried.

"It's terrifying!" Maddy replied.

"Well if you are going to ask John Watson out, you had better ask him before he volunteers to work the weekends again. Poor boy. He works so hard. Sometimes I think that he wants to work himself to death."

Maddy took Eliza and walked back upstairs. John was sitting in his chair not-reading. That's what she called the particular activity that John had taken to doing. He would sit in his chair carrying a book. He would open it and begin to read a page, and then he would get a faraway look in his face, lay the book down on his lap and daydream. If she called him on it, or spoke to him about anything, he would lift the book and pretend to be reading again.

"John," she said, "please come with me to a charity function this weekend as my date."

John looked up, "What?" he said, "date? I thought that you were dating Mycroft again? Is this some elaborate plan to make him jealous, because I'll have you know that he can have me disappeared."

"No, it's just that ... I'm the new director of a charity and I'm terrified of doing it alone."

John put the book down on his lap again as he looked into her frightened face. "Certainly I will come," he said, "let me call the hospital and change my schedule.

The next day she took Maria with her to the clothing shop. She had asked John first, but he had declined. She had thought of Mrs Hudson, but her tastes were a bit too old fashioned for Maddy. She called Mrs Winslow, who wanted to help, but was already occupied at that time. She did, however, allow Maria time off to help a former employer/friend.

Maria adored the shop. It had a front window full of white manikins wearing formal dresses. Mrs Holmes' tailor, showed her many dresses. She had her try fashions with many different cuts and colors before they decided on a silk dress in Royal blue with beads and sequins on the neckline. The woman took her measurements, and promised to have the dress adjusted before the party.

Afterward, Maria took her to look at the neighboring department stores, and hearing about her date with Mycroft, she all but forced her to try on a number of stylish dresses badgering her until she agreed to buy a saucy little red dress with a hemline that was much too short.

"This is too racy for me," she had said. "I'm a mother."

"You wish to be one again? This dress could guarantee it," Maria said.

When she came downstairs on the night of her date with Mycroft, John gave a wolf-whistle. She was wearing red pumps with five inch heels and her skirt was well above the knee. She wore her hair down finding that it had grown another inch.

Upon seeing her, Mrs Hudson told her not to worry about returning early as he had discussed. "I'm perfectly happy to watch Eliza all night if need be," she said.

"No, no, I'll be back before two," Maddy said picking up Eliza for one last hug. Eliza reached out to tug her hair. "Good night, baby," she said kissing her nose.

The sound of a horn informed her that the cab had arrived. John helped her on with her coat and Mrs. Hudson followed her down the stairs pulling her aside just before she left to ask if she had protection in her purse. "I have pepper spray," she said. Mrs Hudson passed her a box of condoms. Well, considering her history she supposed that it made sense.

She had told Mycroft to meet her at a particular coffee shop. It was proving to be a bad decision as she had had to tell two men that she was waiting for someone. The last one had insisted that he _was_ someone, and she was almost to the point of using her pepper spray when he finally left, therefore she had no patience at all when a man slid into the chair across from her. She picked up the butter knife that had come with her tea cake and said, "Listen mister, if you have a mind to keep those balls I suspect you had better be on your way." Then she looked closer and cried in astonishment, "Mycroft?"

"I must say that I had been hoping for a better reception," he said gesturing to the knife. "Do I really look that awful?"

Maddy looked at him. He was wearing a black turtleneck sweater under a black blazer, and his hair which was usually highly coiffed was parted and combed casually to the side in a single curve. But the strangest thing was his glasses. Mycroft didn't wear glasses.

"They're just clear glass lenses," he said, "all part of the disguise. Is this acceptable? What do you think of my 'middle-class man on a date' costume?"

"Wow!" Maddy said, "You look so, different."

"Different in a good way or a bad way," he asked.

"I don't know...just different. In a good way. Really, from a distance, I wouldn't have recognized you. Maybe I could if you walked. Have you done this before?"

"Not often," Mycroft said, "I do find, however, that the advantage of having a certain regularity of uniform is that no one expects to see you outside of it."

"You mean that no one recognizes you when you aren't wearing a suit?"

"Exactly," Mycroft said folding his hands on the table as he glanced aside. "Do you wish me to purchase you another drink here, or should we go immediately to the restaurant."

"What do you want to do?" she asked.

"I'd like to go to the restaurant as soon as possible," he replied.

"Oh", she said concerned, "Are you hungry?"

"Truthfully, It is less hunger than the desire to see your legs without the interference of this table," he said causing Maddy to blush. Mycroft stood and helped Maddy up, glancing down at her legs before walking her out of the coffee shop. He left a considerable tip.

They walked down the street and Mycroft pushed a button causing the lights to flash on a silver jaguar xf coupe. He opened the door for her.

"Mycroft, I thought that we were supposed to be low-key on this date," Maddy said.

"This is my assistant's car," he said, "she let me borrow it. Relax, it isn't even this year's model."

Maddy stared at Mycroft as they zoomed through the street. "I didn't know that you drove stick," she said. Mycroft raised his eyebrow but didn't reply. She suddenly tried to remember if "driving stick" was a sexual innuendo or not. Maybe she could look it up on her phone.

She pulled out her phone, but before she could switch to browser it beeped at her. She checked the message.

**[Meet me where we discussed in twenty minutes. 0]**

She glanced over at Mycroft who was busy changing lanes and then angled the phone away from him as she typed,

**[Busy now. Can't come.]**

**[What do you mean 'can't come'. Need you now. 0]**

**[Am with someone. Later.]**

"Who is that?" Mycroft asked.

"Oh just, Mrs Hudson. Some question about the baby."

**[Get rid of them. This is important. 0]**

"Something wrong with Eliza."

"Uh, no. Eliza is fine."

"Then what is it?"

"She just wanted to know where I had put the milk. Where are we going?"

"It's just over here," Mycroft said turning onto a side road as he pulled up beside a church park. He climbed out coming around to open the door for Maddy. Mycroft placed one hand on her arm and one behind her waist as he helped her from the car. He hugged her for a second, and she looked into his blue eyes that were accentuated by his rounded glasses. They walked down the walk toward a church, Maddy was slightly ahead. "Where is this restaurant that we are going to?" She asked turning to see Mycroft holding up her phone and reading the messages. "Mycroft!" she said.

Mycroft looked up at her, surprise on his face. "This is my brother isn't it?" he said, "Sherlock is back in town."


	5. Chapter 5

Maddy walked into the alley, the sound of her red high-heels echoing off of the walls. Mycroft walked behind her. He didn't have an umbrella, but he carried a silver-topped walking stick in its place. She had not known that anyone even sold such a thing in this day and age. She had only seen them in Fred Astaire videos, but apparently Mycroft Holmes knew the supplier. "Where are we going?" Mycroft asked.

"This is the place," Maddy said, "Sherlock gave me both my phones in this very alley."

"I would think that he would find a more...sanitary place to transact business, but then my little brother was never known for his sanity."

"You meant to say that he wasn't known for being sanitary. John agrees, what with the body parts he used to bring home."

"Did I misspeak? Hmmm. I think not."

Mycroft pointed the cane at a sign on a door leading from the alley. It was white piece of paper with the pale yellow impression of a submarine drawn on it. "I suppose that is where we are to go. My brother always had a certain elegance with words."

"But there are no words on that sign," Maddy said.

"Exactly."

Mycroft pulled the sign down and crumpled it up in his hand, placing it in his pocket as he pushed open the door. They found themselves in the back room of a portrait shop. The wooden forms of empty frames were propped up against the wall. Painted canvas hung on racks for use as backgrounds. Maddy closed the door and shuffled behind Mycroft who strode through the room as if he knew exactly where he was going. He walked through a door into the storefront and stood in the middle of an open area with one foot out and one hand on his hip in a pose like that of The Blue Boy.

"Well Sherlock," he said, "we are here, so you can come out now."

"Why Mycroft, is this fancy dress day at the Diogenes club, or have you decided that your old look is not hip enough for the under-aged girls that you are dating now?"

Maddy looked around the room but she could not see Sherlock. The curtains that led to the street were closed, but the light leaked through them filling the room with blue. There were recessed lights that glowed a dim yellow illuminating tasteful portraits of men, women, families, and dogs. Maddy wondered why no one ever took an portrait with their cats. She figured that it must have something to do with that Bond villain.

Sherlock stepped out from behind a canvas background and walked toward them. "Ah Maddy. I see that you've acquired a parasite. You should be more careful."

"So, the prodigal finally returns. What is that on your chin? Have birds nested there? I saw a chemist's on the way here. Perhaps there you can buy a razor to shave it off."

"Good to see you too, Mycroft. No umbrella today I see, but you still keep a copy of the Barton-Wright defense pamphlet in your bathroom. By the way, I'd be careful where you park your assistant's car around here. They are quite vigilant with ticketing, although I suppose that with your connections that isn't much of a problem."

"Talking about problems, you've been quite busy. The tale of your deeds has been whispered in intelligence offices all over Europe. You should have come to me."

"No, I should not have. This is my fight."

"I am your brother."

"And I am not a child anymore, Mycroft, when will you learn that?"

"When you stop acting like one. Look at the mess you left behind. Now John..."

"Don't talk about John to me!"

"Boys!" Maddy said, "Can you stop fighting? This is no way for brothers to be reunited. Shall I do it for you then?"

Maddy stood between the two of them. The edges of Mycroft's mouth was turned down, while Sherlock glared down his nose at him. Maddy took Mycroft's hand and Sherlock's. She placed them together imitating their voices as she talked for them...

_"Mycroft, hello. It is so good to see you again after all this time," _she said in a smooth low voice.

Then in a voice marked with formality and wry cadence she said,_"Why Sherlock, so glad you are back. I missed you. Let's hug."_

The two shared expressions of confused horror as they stared at her before they forcefully pulled their hands apart.

Sherlock stepped back a pace. Mycroft turned toward her crossing both hands over his cane handle. "Maddy, you have an interesting sense of humor, but this is between my brother and I."

"No," Maddy said, "You dragged yourself along to this meeting. You will stand there quietly while I conduct it."

Sherlock smiled, " Why Maddy, how ever did you tame him? I never knew how easy it was to manipulate someone through sex."

"You might know if you had ever had any," Mycroft snipped.

"Well at least I don't knock-up my agents."

"I didn't...

"That's right, it's only **my** agents that you get '_preggers_'."

"Can you boys shut up for half a second? Sherlock, why did you call me here? You said it was urgent."

"Oh yes, I think I know a way to get John out of my room."

"Get John out of...for God Sake! how did you survive all this time when you concern yourself with such trivial..."

Just then a car pulled up outside the door and there was the sound of music as laughing people climbed out. Maddy could see their shadows pass before the window. Sherlock put a finger over his lips and they walked into the back room. "I think that this conversation might be more safely conducted elsewhere." Mycroft said quietly, "Whyever did you pick this place?"

"Of all of the closed shops backing this alley, its lock was the easiest to pick."

"Good God Sherlock! Do you have no idea of security?"

Sherlock climbed up a ladder and perched on top of a shelving unit pushing open a skylight that led to the roof. "You go ahead," he said, "I'll meet you at the car." Then he climbed through the window and away.

Mycroft looked up at where he had stood. "My brother, always one for the dramatic," he said, but she could hear a hint of pride in his voice.

They walked through the door, and out of the alley climbing into the silver sports car. Mycroft pulled away. "Aren't we going to wait for Sherlock?" Maddy asked.

"No need,"Mycroft said.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm already here," Sherlock replied. Maddy turned to find him lying on the floorboard of the car. Mycroft shifted zooming into the fast lane as the shadows of buildings passed them by.

"Where are we going?" Sherlock asked.

"To one of my safe houses. If we are to keep the good doctor safe, your presence must remain undetected. How you were able to stay in London so long without being noticed is a mystery, but now you have me to make sure that things are done correctly."

"I will not let you run this," Sherlock said.

"Run this?" Mycroft said, "I have no intention of running anything, but I will not have you administering vigilante justice in my city. If you wish to bring down Moriarty's minions we will work within the confines of government law."

"Mycroft, don't get in my way."

"I only mean to help, brother."

"I will take your help, but don't stand between me and Moran."

"Is that who you have come to get?" Mycroft asked. "Moran?"

"Not yet. There are others that I must find first, and they are well hidden."

"Then my network is at your disposal,"

"I have my own, thank you," Sherlock said watching the streetlights overhead. "You have a safe house here? This is a residential neighborhood."

"Exactly where one expects to find a house," Mycroft said, "besides, it is fully stocked with toiletries. I fear I will be unable to have a decent conversation with you until you shave off that...thing on your chin."

"You're only giving me more incentive to keep it."

Maddy laughed. "You boys are a laugh riot. You know that don't you?" Maddy said, and the puzzled look on both of their faces sent Maddy into hysterics for a full minute.

The house was beautiful. White and cream like the first place she had met Mycroft. She hated it. The upstairs was better. It was a command center with industrial office furniture and a green Persian rug. Sherlock sat behind the desk and logged onto the computer. After a minute he swiveled in his chair. "This will be adequate," he said.

"_ 'Thank You'_ is the proper response," Mycroft replied.

Sherlock pulled out his phone and Maddy's phone beeped in her purse. She pulled it out.

"I've messaged you the command codes Maddy. You'll be my agent on the ground. I shall remain here for a time. I think that my old identity needs to take a rest. He was beginning to be noticed."

"Wait a second," Maddy said, "there is no secret agent stuff going on here unless I can do it from Manchester. You all seem to have forgotten that I live there, not here. I have a meeting with the dean on Wednesday."

Mycroft and Sherlock glanced at each other and then at her. Then Mycroft said, "But Maddy, didn't you accept my mother's offer of employment as head of her new charity? And are you not going to a charity dinner tomorrow with John Watson to get it listed in the Bathgate's charity directory."

"Well yes, but I still plan to get my chef's certificate!" The silence in the room as they stared at her was deafening.

Maddy's phone rang then and she answered it, glad for any excuse to ignore their stares.

There was the sound of crying and Mrs Hudson shushing the baby. "Oh Maddy, I'm so sorry to interrupt your date," Mrs Hudson said, "but Eliza has a bad case of colic and I think that you should come home if you can. So sorry, dear."

"It's alright Mrs Hudson, we were already on our way home," Maddy said.

She jumped out of the car which drove off before she had reached the step, then she walked into Mrs Hudson's flat and took off her heels before taking Eliza in one arm and bouncing her up and down.

"Oh, didn't Mycroft come in?" Mrs Hudson asked looking behind her.

"No," Maddy said, "he has things to do."

"Just like a man," Mrs Hudson said, "Always so busy with work. You'd think he'd spend time on important things like his family." Maddy looked at her and wondered if she could be called Mycroft's family. She opened the door and took Eliza upstairs to bed.


	6. Chapter 6

The beautiful coif that Maddy imagined was nowhere near realization. She piled the hair high on her head and tried to pin it up, but it would not cooperate. It looked like a frizzy beehive. Eventually she had to admit defeat, and pull it back into a bun. Now she looked like a schoolteacher.

The blue dress draped softly from her waist sweeping the floor gracefully as she walked alternatively hiding and revealing her white sandals, which had lower heels than the ones she had worn on her date, thank goodness. The so called _'date'_ with Mycroft had tired her out. She hadn't had a chance to eat or see a movie. She had instead been drafted into becoming Sherlock's lieutenant. Ever since then, Sherlock had been sending her cryptic commands.

**[Turn off the text alert noise. J always notices those. Use vibrate. 0]**

**[Check your phone every 5 minutes for messages. 0]**

**[Don't let J see you check your messages. 0]**

**[Erase the messages after you read them so J won't find them. 0]**

**[What is he doing now? 0]**

**[Have you tried pouring jam on his sheets? 0]**

Maddy erased the messages, and put her phone into her purse. She had taken to only checking messages when she was in the bathroom, but after coming out of the bathroom for the third time in an hour, John had pulled her aside to ask her if she had a urinary tract infection.

Now she looked into the mirror trying to see herself as the director of anything. She smiled and tried to sound sincere as she said, _"Our charity helps those who cannot help themselves. Our charity keeps those who can't help themselves from helping themselves to your stuff because you selfish rich bastards won't give them any help. If I had even a third of the money that you crazy folks are spending on this ridiculous party, I could run the shelter for a year.__"_ No...the pitch needs work_._

Maddy left the bathroom and entered the living room. "Oh Maddy, you look lovely," Mrs Hudson said as she entered.

"Thank You," Maddy said going over to hold Eliza and give her a kiss. The door to John's (Sherlock's) bedroom opened and John stepped out. She had never seen him look more dapper. Mrs Holmes had sent him a suit for the do. It was a modern, slick, black suit with a lined black shirt and a white vest. His white tie drew attention to his rugged face. Unfortunately, he was frowning.

This fashionable life of dressing up and going places scared Maddy, but it seemed to depress John. Maddy remembered then that John Watson was a man of action. He was polite, and that is why he had agreed to come, but he was no happier going with her than he would have been spending time alone in the bedroom with his gun. In fact, he would probably enjoy that better because he would have the memories to keep him company.

Maddy closed her eyes. Why couldn't she just tell him that Sherlock was alive and stop his pain. John was the sacrifice here. Skewered on the stake of unhappiness for a game, a stupid game. Maddy resented that she had to be a part of this deception, but she sighed and put it out of her mind. This year, she had resolved to act. Starting this charity was acting, and it would help people. Many more people than she could help alone.

The doorbell rang twice. Their taxi had arrived. She handed Eliza back to Mrs Hudson and walked down the stairs with John close behind her. He opened the taxi door and then slid beside her.

As the car pulled away from the curb, Maddy received a message. She angled the phone away so that John couldn't see it. "_Sherlock is so annoying," _she thought, but the message wasn't from Sherlock, it was from Abby at the homeless shelter.

**[Call me now, Please!]**

Maddy dialed, "Hello Abby, we are on our way to the banquet. What is it?"

"Please Maddy, I need your help. Can you come now, and do you know anyone who has any medical knowledge. Someone is hurt."

"We'll be right there," Maddy said.

"John, someone is hurt at the shelter."

John's face suddenly hardened, and he sat a bit straighter. "I'll need my bag," he said leaning forward to tell the driver to return to Baker street. Not long afterward the extremely overdressed pair walked up the ramp to enter the homeless shelter.

Maddy pushed her way past the desk and knocked lightly on Abby's office door before opening it.

Abigail was standing beside her desk. She walked over and gave Maddy a hug. "Thanks for coming," she said.

On a green couch sat a boy of about 14 or 15. He was slightly built, with brown hair and blue eyes, a bit short for his age. His arm had a nasty gash down it that had been wrapped up with a dish towel, and there were tears in his shirt as if he had been in a fight.

"I said no police," he told her.

"Do they look like police?" Abby said, "These are my friends."

John walked over to the boy, "Let me see that," he said taking the boy's arm in his hands. He unwrapped the towel carefully. Even so, the boy winced as he removed it. "When did this happen?" John asked.

"Gabe came in about an hour ago," Abby said.

"They took him," the boy said anxiously, "they took my little brother Michael."

"Who took him?" John asked.

"The men...some men."

"Did you recognize them? Do you know where they went? There still might be time to catch them."

"I don't know. I was ... on the ground or I would have been following them myself. "

"Abby, If a child has been abducted then we need to call the police," John said.

"No!" the boy screamed, "That man, he said if I called the police that they would kill him."

"Who would kill him?" Abby asked, "Do you know who has been doing this?"

"Not personally," Gabriel said, "There's this guy. I've seen him around. Talked to him before. Always acting nice. Offering kids candy. Today I was walking my brother home from school and they cornered us. There were three of them. They took Michael. I tried to stop them but they hit me, and...they held me down, and Michael was screaming. I'm his big brother. He's only nine."

"Relax,"John said, "First let me get this arm fixed. Stay still."

Gabriel nodded and John opened his bag and began cleaning the wound. Abby pulled Maddy to a door and they walked through, closing it behind them. "What's going on?" Maddy asked, "Who is this boy?"

"His name is Gabriel. He's a local. His dad is a drunk, verbally abusive, no physical violence that I've ever seen. Gabe ran away from home the first time when he was eleven. He's been coming to the shelter off and on whenever things get too bad. He's sort of like a mascot. We've been hearing stories about something going on with children for a while now. Rumors mostly. I've been asking some of the people, those who are responsible to keep their eyes open, but this is the first time we've seen anything. There are never any witnesses. Never before Gabe. Before we only had rumors. The police weren't interested before. Maybe now they will take us seriously, but Gabriel is afraid. I don't know if he will talk, and I just don't know what to do about the threat. He may be watched. They'd notice if police pulled up to the shelter, and someone who could kidnap a child...there's no telling what they might do."

The door opened, and John walked in. "That boy," John said, "I'm pretty sure he's been raped. We need to get him to the hospital as soon as possible. There may still be a chance to get evidence that can be used in court."

"But those men might be out there waiting for him," Maddy said.

"Then we need to work fast. Is the taxi still here?"

"No," Abby said, "They won't come here. No paying fares at a homeless shelter."

"I know someone who can pick us up," Maddy said.

An expensive black car pulled into the alley at the side of the homeless shelter. Maddy, and Gabriel climbed into the back. John sat up front with Tom. They were whisked away to the hospital where John worked and shown into a private examination room. Maddy waited in the hallway. John came out after a few moments and said, "They are looking him over now. I think that it would be best if we could keep him here overnight, then he can go back home. Has anyone tried to reach his parents?"

"Abby is calling around looking for his father."

"Good, as soon as they find him get him up here. We need to do this quietly to avoid alerting whoever is behind this."

Just then they turned as Gregory Lestrade came striding toward them. "John, what's so serious that I have to miss football night at the pub. I don't have many days off you know, and you seem to be remarkably overdressed for a chat in the hospital. What couldn't tell me over the phone."

"It's a delicate matter," John said, "I need you to meet someone."

Gabriel was wearing a hospital robe sitting on the bed. It was clear that he was uncomfortable. "Hey, Doctor John. Why am I here? We need to be looking for Michael."

"We will," John said, "but we need information to help us find him. This is Greg. He'll ask you some questions."

"No cops! They said they'd kill him!"

"Does he look like a cop?" Maddy said, "Do cops come in wearing football shirts?"

"Ah, I guess not."

"Then sit quiet and answer his questions," Maddy said.

Lestrade looked from Maddy and John before pulling up a stool. He looked straight into the boy's eyes and said, "Please tell me the story from the beginning."

Right then Maddy's phone vibrated and she excused herself. She walked down the hall until she found an empty room, then she entered closing the door behind her. The phone number of the caller was unlisted. "What is this about you and John getting Mycroft's driver to take you to the hospital?" Sherlock asked.

"A child has been kidnapped. Sherlock, we've got to find him. His brother was raped, I'm afraid of what they will do to the child. They threatened to kill him. He may already be dead."

"I think that is unlikely. I think that they plan a much worse fate for the boy."

"What do you mean, Sherlock? Do you know who kidnapped him? Tell me. I have Inspector Lestrade here. We need to find him soon or ..."

"Maddy, calm yourself. No, I do not know where the boy is, I just know who might be behind it all. One of Moriarty's men. The man that I came here to track. Your information might be invaluable to me. Keep an eye on the brother and relay any information that you find back to me. I will set the network on finding the missing child. Stay where you are."

"But he's in danger"

"Maddy! panic won't find him any faster. It he was taken by who I think took him, they won't kill him. They need him alive and healthy."

"What for?"

"We can talk about that later. You need to get John and Lestrade to investigate this on your end. I'll keep looking on my end. Between the two of us we will find out how to get to the man behind this ring."

"What man? Who is it?"

"I only have a name."

"What name?"

"Konstantin R. Alexopoulos"


	7. Chapter 7

Maddy, John, and Lestrade sat in the nearly empty hospital cafeteria sipping cups of lukewarm coffee, although Maddy was drinking cocoa. Gabriel's father had finally arrived, red-faced and intoxicated, to pick up his son. He had listened carefully to the story of the abduction, his face lined with concern as he pulled his remaining son close to his side, as if holding tightly to one son could bring the other back.

John reached up and loosened his tie. "Sorry you never made it to your party," Lestrade said.

"That's alright," John replied,"It's a longstanding tradition for a doctor to be called away from public occasions. So is there a match for the DNA of the rapist?"

"Nothing," Lestrade said, "whoever did it isn't on file, but we have the boy's description of the assailant and we are quietly circulating it around. We are also investigating the mother's family. His grandmother had voiced concerns about the father's care. It may be a domestic problem."

"This is not some family argument!" Maddy said pushing up from her chair, "He was taken by strangers, and right now he's somewhere scared and alone praying for someone to find him. We can't wait anymore. We've got to look for him. You need to arrest the man behind this now. Make him tell us where the boy is."

"But we don't know who is behind it," John said.

"I do. It's Konstantin Alexopoulos."

The two of them looked at Maddy. "How do you know that?" Lestrade asked.

Maddy looked at John and then down. "Mycroft mentioned him. Somehow he's involved in all of this."

"Do you have any evidence?" Lestrade said.

"No," Maddy said falling back in her chair.

The corner of John's mouth lifted slightly as he said, "Then I suppose we had better get some."

Lestrade sent a car to take them home. Maddy immediately hugged Eliza to her chest and took her up to bed to feed her. The thought of stolen children hit her down in her gut. She couldn't imagine what would happen if Eliza were kidnapped. It hurt just to think about it. This boy, Michael, it made her sad to think about him too, but she didn't even know what he looked like. She had never met him. What would it be like to lose someone whom she loved as much as she loved Eliza? She held on tightly to her daughter and wouldn't let go. She rocked Eliza that night until she fell asleep.

Maddy woke before dawn. She tried to go back to sleep, but she couldn't, so she put on her robe and slippers and walked down the stairs to the living room to find John sitting at his laptop. He glanced up as she entered. "Maddy, good, I have something to show you."

"What?" Maddy asked.

"Alexopoulos, I've found him."

"Who is he?"

"He's a billionaire philanthropist. Made his money in international shipping. Moved the business to England in the mid to late 1970s. In the early 2000's he fell out of society and became a recluse. No one sees him. He owns an office building downtown. Lives above it in a penthouse apartment."

"The mid seventies? How old is he?"

"Old, but this is the interesting part. Although his business is now run by others, he has a charity that he still runs personally, WASF (World Angels Success Foundation). They take orphan children from countries around the world and bring them to the UK to get an education. Here is their web page. Do you notice anything special about the children?"

"Well, they are young. Eight to ten years old I'd say. Boys and girls. I don't see anything suspicious. That little boy is cute though. Look at his eyes."

"They are _all_ very attractive aren't they?"

"Yes, they are very pretty, but this is an advertisement. They hide the ugly ones in the back."

"Look at this class photo. Show me the ugly ones," John said. Maddy looked through the rows of children. All of them were healthy and pretty ... no,they were beautiful.

"But this is the worst part," John said. "They used to advertise student's homecoming ceremonies. The point was to train the children and let them go back to their homeland, but there have been no ceremonies since 1995, and I can find no record of any of them returning home since 1998. Also, they used to publish annual class pictures on the website, but they don't anymore. When you click on access to pictures it is password protected."

"Why would school photos be password protected?" Maddy asked.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling that something very bad is happening here. I'm going to call Lestrade and see if he can locate any of the graduates of this charity. Maybe we can talk to them. Get an idea of what is going on."

Maddy nodded. She had a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. "You know," Maddy said, "It's almost dawn, and this has gotten me worked up. I think that I'm going to go for a walk."

John turned toward her. "Do you want me to come along?"

"No," she said, "Just keep an ear out for Eliza will you?"

"Of course," he said turning back to his laptop. Maddy put on her clothes, her coat, and her hat and walked out of the door of 221B Baker street. A vibration in her pocket made her reach down for her phone.

**[Hi!]**

She looked up and saw Shawna give her a brief wave. Maddy smiled briefly and then she started walking. When she was some blocks away, she called Sherlock. "John has found something," she said, "Alexopoulos runs a charity for children: World Angels Success Foundation (WASF)."

"Just a minute," he said. The sound of keystrokes filled the silence as Maddy looked both ways and crossed the street. "I found it. They have a school in London. I'm faxing you the address."

"Do you want me to go there?" Maddy asked.

"No. Absolutely do not go there. I will investigate the school. You ask your friends if anyone has heard anything about it."

"I don't have any friends," Maddy said.

"Please Maddy, that's my line," Sherlock said, "I also have another job for you. You need to visit Alexopoulos. See if you can get a look in his house."

"He lives in a penthouse apartment downtown. How am I going to get in to see him? Do you want me to just walk up to the front door and ask?"

"Oh good, you follow," Sherlock said.

"What?" Maddy cried, "Why would they let me in? What am I supposed to do? Dress up as a cleaning lady?"

Sherlock sighed loudly, "Maddy, are you or are you not the director of the Holmes Homeless Foundation? Ask him for a donation!"

"But I..."

"Just do it! You were the one to remind me that a child's life is at stake. Do you suppose that he is the only one?"

Maddy remembered Gabriel's face. She had to help him. She turned around and rushed back to the flat to tell John about the plan.


	8. Chapter 8

They tried the direct approach. A phone call to his office. It fell flat as they were informed that Alexopoulos saw no one.

"What do we do now?" Maddy asked.

"If you can't get through the front door, try the back," John said. They sat in the living room of the flat watching Eliza crawl across the floor. Maddy kept an eye out for sharp objects. "I only mean, maybe you can find someone who knows him. Do you know anyone who might be able to get in to see him, Maddy?"

"I don't know any billionaires," Maddy said, "I was homeless remember?"

"You were also Mycroft Holmes celebrated fiance. Are you sure you don't remember anyone?"

Maddy's thoughts flashed to a weasel-like face. He was a billionaire, but he was dead. Suddenly she remembered another woman who talked to her at the tea table.

"I think...yes, I think that I might just know someone," Maddy said.

( -( ) -)

Maddy rang the bell and a woman answered the door. She wore a tasteful flower print dress and a sad put upon expression. She looked down her nose at Madeline as she stood in the door way. "May I help you?" she asked.

"Mrs Simpson-Stuart?"

"Yes, this is she."

"It's Madeline St. Martin. You once asked me to join your flower society."

"Madeline..." The woman's bent closer and her face lightened a bit as she remembered, "Oh you were Mycroft Holmes' ...I mean. Hello. Come in."

She showed Maddy into a nice sitting room with brightly upholstered furniture and dried flowers in vases. The room was dominated by a close up painting of a pink tulip which hung over the couch, " How are you?" she asked.

"I am well, and you."

"Well, It's Frances Stuart now, So good of you to visit Madeline. How may I help you."

"You are on the Children's Charity Committee of the North London Women's League aren't you?"

"Yes, but I've not been active of late. Problems at home have unfortunately kept me occupied, but I can give you some names if you want to become a member."

"I'm calling because I need your help in getting an invitation. I was recently named the director of the Holmes Homeless Foundation and I wanted to meet a certain person who is difficult to meet. Didn't your group once raise money for a charity called WASF."

"Oh, you mean World Angel's Success. We haven't worked with them for years."

"You haven't, why not?"

"Alexopoulos had a stroke some years ago and he stopped going to functions. Soon afterwards his foundation stopped participating in group fundraisers. Now all of their fundraising events are private."

"Private? Isn't that a bit odd? What are they like? I assume that you've gone to them."

"Me, no. I've never been invited."

"Surely someone must have."

"I suppose they were dissatisfied in some way. There is no overlap. They have an entirely different group of donors, and the donors are very dedicated. Their proceeds frequently make the list of the top charitable organizations in the city, and yet they refuse to share donor lists or participate in group projects. It's been quite irritating really. I'd suggest you try elsewhere."

"I really have my heart set on Alexopoulos. Is there any way that I can meet him?"

Francis Stuart placed her hands on her knees as she thought, "Well, Alexopoulos doesn't go out, I suppose due to his health. He does everything through his director. Mr. Charles Blackwell, Esq."

"And what is he like?" Maddy asked.

Mrs Stuart frowned. "I dislike speaking ill of anyone, but I must say that despite the fact that he insists on the title esquire in all correspondence, he is no gentleman."

"Why do you say that? Can you give me an example."

"I would rather not," Mrs Stuart said and her neck flushed a bit red. The doorbell rang and Mrs Stuart stood up. "Madeline, might you come back at another time? The movers have come to remove my former husbands things."

"Oh of course," Madeline said reaching out her hand to shake Frances' hand. "I wish you all the best."

Mrs Stuart furrowed her brows briefly in a pained expression, and then she smiled, "Thank you," she said squeezing Maddy's hand before releasing it. "Good Luck."

As she walked down the sidewalk away from the house, Maddy pulled out her phone and called Sherlock.

"Did you get a name?" Sherlock asked.

"Yes, the man who runs everything now is called Charles Blackwell, Esq."

"Charles Blackwell? Is that all?"

"No, they run private invitation-only fundraisers. I don't know how to get an invite to one."

"Don't worry about the fundraiser. You and John still need to try to see Alexopoulos."

The phone beeped.

"Someone is on the other line, it might be John."

"Right." Sherlock said hanging up.

Maddy sighed and then opened the line, "Hello?" she said.

"Maddy where are you!" Suzanna cried, "I'm at the bus stop and no one is here."

"Oh!" Maddy said, "My ticket. I forgot all about it!"

"Forgot? Maddy, you have an appointment with the Dean tomorrow. Did you forget that too? You said that this was important."

"I know, I know. "

"So are you coming on the next bus?"

"I...no I'm tied up in something now Suzanna, I can't leave. Please call the Dean's office for me and cancel the appointment."

"Are you sure, Maddy? You told me that you needed to get the workstudy job to afford your classes this semester. Do I need to remind you that classes start on Monday?"

"I know, I know, but this is life or death."

"Yeah, Yeah," Suzanna said, "but if you miss the first week of school, you'll be rushing to catch up all semester."

"Okay Suzanna. Thanks for calling. I'll call when I find out...anything. Goodbye."

"Toodles," Suzanna said and hung up.

The bus arrived, and Maddy climbed on.


	9. Chapter 9

_The room was dark. A sliver of light leaked through a foil covered window. On the floor a boy sat, his hands bound by hard plastic ropes. He cried. There was a rattle at the door, and he shuddered, pulling out of the sliver of sun to huddle on the corner of the bed, his eyes full of terror. The light illuminated little flecks of dust floating through the cell as he listened to the sound of a key in the lock._

_"Help me," the boy whispered. Then he screamed, "Help me!" _

Maddy woke with a jump. Her mouth was wide open, and her heart was beating much too fast. She looked around the bed to make sure that she didn't disturb Eliza, but Eliza was asleep in the playpen, a blanket draped across her shoulder.

Maddy sat up. She crawled off of the bed and looked down at the baby who was sleeping peacefully. Her chest rising and falling very, very slightly as she slept.

The contrasting images of peaceful Eliza and the frightened boy warred in Maddy's brain. She pulled on her robe and slippers and went downstairs to make a cup of tea.

Maddy passed through the silent flat and into the kitchen turning on the light. She filled the kettle and turned it on, then she stood a moment trying not to shake. It was only a dream, but in one respect it was real. A boy had been captured. If he wasn't dead, then he was being held somewhere against his will. Maddy remembered the feeling, waking up chained to a bunk. Not knowing where she was and why. She remembered the mindless terror of it. If Mycroft hadn't been there. If he hadn't talked to her, calmed her, she didn't know what she would have done. Perhaps she would have bashed her head against the wall until it was bloodied. Chewed her wrist. To think of that happening to a child. It was too much for Maddy. It made her panic. Even now her heart was still beating as if she had run a race. She pulled out a mug, and a tea bag, placing it on the table as she waited.

But what was she waiting for? She should go back home to her own life. She had a child to take care of, but then there's the rub, the boy was someone's child. She couldn't turn her back on him. But then again, what could she do except stand here. She was nobody. She didn't know how to find him. She didn't know how to get him back. She walked into the living room to wait for the kettle to boil. She turned on the light and jumped to see John sitting in his chair.

"Hello Maddy," John said.

"John, you scared me. Were you here the whole time? Why didn't you turn on the light?"

John sat forward. "Maddy, are you alright?" he asked, "You look as if you've had a fright. What's wrong? Is it Eliza?"

Maddy shook her head. "No Eliza's fine. I ... I just had a nightmare. Only, it isn't a nightmare, it's true. There is a boy lost out there who needs us to save him. Why hasn't anyone found him yet? Why aren't we out there looking?" Maddy moved agitatedly from foot to foot. The shrill upset in her brain was echoed by the scream of the kettle as it began to boil.

John stood and placed his hands on Maddy's shoulders. "Calm down Maddy," he said, "nothing will be gained by panicking. Sit down and I'll make us tea."

Maddy sat on the couch. Her leg bouncing nervously. John came in holding two mugs of tea. He sat down beside her and handed her one. She sipped it. It burned. They sat in silence, waiting for the tea to cool, then Maddy spoke, "I only take one sugar in my tea," she said.

"I'm sorry," John said,"I should have asked. I guess I just got in the habit."

Maddy turned to look at John. Had his eyes always looked that red? Why was he awake in the middle of the night. Did he still have trouble sleeping? Sherlock? It was Sherlock that kept him awake, even after all this time.

Sherlock and John had been important to each other, then John had lost him. For Maddy, Sherlock was very much alive, but John didn't know that and Maddy was forbid to tell him. In her panic, she had forgotten why she had come to 221B in the first place. She looked at John searching for clues on his face or his clothing to tell how he was feeling, but she was no Sherlock.

John gave a small smile. He put down his drink and sat back. "Maddy," He said, "don't think that I don't know why you've been loathe to leave. You are remarkably transparent in your feelings. I know that you're afraid, Maddy, that I might try to kill myself. I saw it in your eyes that night you found me with the gun. It may even be part of the reason that you aren't going home to Manchester, but I want to tell you that you don't have to worry about me. I've been at the brink before. Much closer to the brink than I was on that night, and I couldn't go through with it. I found having lived through it myself, that I just couldn't cause that much pain to the people I loved."

Maddy looked at John. He was still, but she could see the wrinkling in his brows. The sadness in his face. It was inside him, that sadness. He had learned how not to show it so openly, but it was still there. A wound covered by a bandage, but still a wound. Maddy started to cry. She leaned forward and hugged John, and then she rose and ran back upstairs.

Maddy glanced at Eliza, who was still asleep peacefully, then she threw on her clothes and her shoes, closing the door silently before rushing down the stairs. John stood as she passed, "Please watch Eliza," she said to John, "I'm going to the shelter."

She rushed out of the door and down the street weaving through alleys to avoid pursuit. She wasn't the best at cloak and dagger, but one thing that she had learned on the street was that in the quiet of the night, a fast moving target could hear if she was being pursued. She did not run, but she rushed through the cold streets, taking cross streets and alleys, never going the straight way. Staying out of the easy to see paths. When she was ten blocks away she hid in a doorway and waited. She heard the sound of a car passing in the distance, but otherwise, nothing. Then she pulled out her phone and dialed Sherlock. He answered on the second ring.

"We need to meet," she said.

There was a long silence then he said, "York Bridge, by the tennis courts. Twenty minutes." Maddy put the phone in her pocket and started off.

She hid in the shadows under a tree listening for the sound of footsteps. She didn't hear any, but saw a hooded man standing on the path. He beckoned, and she followed. He walked past the tennis courts into the woods. She thought that he was leaving the park, but then he ducked behind a bush and disappeared. Maddy crept forward and a hand reached out and pulled her into darkness.

The two of them were standing in a small hollow in the ground. There was a tent over their heads and the lamp light shone through it so that they could almost see around them. Sherlock put his hand to his lips, and they sat silent listening for pursuit. Sherlock pulled back his hood. He was clean-shaven now, but his hair was cropped short so that it didn't curl. After a few minutes Sherlock whispered, "what's wrong?"

"We've got to finish this soon," Maddy said, "I can't keep lying to John. He's in pain. He's in pain because he saw you die, and its getting inside him. It's got inside him, and you have to tell him that you're alive."

Sherlock stared at her with all his focus. "What happened?" he asked.

"Nothing, everything. I had a nightmare about the little boy who was kidnapped, and John was still awake. He doesn't sleep. He thinks of you."

Sherlock looked down at the ground. "Do you still feel that he might do himself harm?"

"No," Maddy said.

Sherlock stared up at her. "You did before. What changed?"

"He told me that he wouldn't," Maddy said, "He said that he couldn't cause that much pain to the people that he loved." Sherlock tensed as if he had been struck by the words. Then he frowned. He clasped his hands together in front of his face and began to pace in the tiny space. Then he looked at Maddy and began to talk quietly and rapidly.

"Before I can return, we have to get Moran, but he won't show himself not until the others are gone. That means we need to get Alexopoulos first. But he's a tough nut. A tough one indeed. As you have probably guessed by now the WASF is only the cover for a much more insidious organization. Children are sent from all over the world to get a better life, but for the last few years, none have returned. This in itself is not uncommon. Many people stay to live in the country where they were educated, but what is uncommon is that those who come here never send word back to those back home."

"Wouldn't someone have noticed? Complained?"

"They only take the orphans, the very poor. Those who have no one to complain. The charity used to be legitimate. I've heard first hand accounts from graduates from ten years ago, but now things are much different."

"How can I help?" Maddy asked.

"You can't," Sherlock said, "These people are extremely dangerous, and you have a child. I think that you should go back to Manchester now."

"I can't go, not until that boy is found. How do I help? I have to help. Tell me what the danger is."

"I went to the address of the school and found that it is defended better than some military installations, guards, dogs, the works. They aren't dressed as guards. They're dressed as teachers, but guards they were. When I tried the gate, disguised as a delivery driver, I noticed some serious weaponry concealed on one of them, and none of the windows in the school face outward, if there are windows at all. As for the "fundraisers", they are held at the school, and one will be held this Saturday."

"That doesn't give us much time."

"No, it doesn't. I had hoped to spend more time investigating, but ... We need to find a way to get inside. If l could impersonate one of their 'donors'... "

"I'm the head of a charity. Perhaps I can get an invitation."

"I don't believe that you can. No one would believe that _you_ would be interested in what they have to offer."

"To offer? What do you mean? What are they doing inside there?"

Sherlock's frown grew as he looked down at Maddy's face, "Unspeakable things no doubt. Maddy, go home."

"Wait," Maddy said, "My sources aren't tapped out yet. They used to be a real charity. I can ask around. What is it we need to know?"

"We need to know the name of a regular participant at this event. It must be someone with lots of money. It takes money to keep such an establishment open in the heart of London. They must have contacts at very high levels, so be very careful. Also, there will be some kind of token or badge. A form of identification to show who is part of the group. We need to find that, but no matter what happens, Maddy, you are not to go past that gate and into that school. Not ever, do you understand?"

Maddy's face became a hard line. She knew that she would do whatever she had to do to free that boy, no matter what Sherlock said.

"If we do this right," Sherlock said, "we can blow this entire operation open by the end of the week, and the last barrier between Moran and myself will be gone."

"And if we do this wrong?"

"Then, we'll be dead."


	10. Chapter 10

It was with a heavy step that Maddy started back toward Baker street. It was only when she was two blocks away that she remembered that she had said that she was going to the shelter. It was too early for her to have returned from that distance.

On the other hand, she could feel the pain building in her breast that said that Eliza would wake soon and want to be fed. She stood for a moment at the corner, then she decided to go in.

She could hear Eliza crying as soon as the door opened. She walked up the stairs, rushing inside to find John bouncing Eliza on his lap. He look relieved. "Maddy, I'm so glad you're here," John said, "Back from the shelter already?"

"I never went. I walked around but I couldn't find a taxi. Too early I suppose, so I decided to come back."

"Well I'm glad for that," he said, "She woke up, and I didn't know what was wrong but she just started crying."

Maddy picked up Eliza and put a finger in her diaper. "She's only wet," Maddy said, "I'll change her, and then I'll take her with me to the shelter."

"Good," John said, "I have work today, so that's good."

"Thank you for watching her for me," Maddy said before running upstairs to change, feed, and dress Eliza.

Later they walked into the shelter to find it mostly empty. This was normal as it was a clear day and it was after breakfast but before lunch. Abigail was talking on the phone. She gestured for Maddy to sit. "That's wonderful. I would certainly appreciate that. Yes, I'll be in touch. Goodbye Mary." She put down the phone. "Hello Maddy," Abby said, "I found a teacher willing to take on our stray children. She works part-time at the local primary school and she is willing to run our children's program. But who is this child? Is this your's little girl? She's so beautiful."

Maddy smiled, "This is Eliza," she said. Abby came over and touched her hair.

"Adorable," she said. The phone rang and she reached across the desk to answer it.  
"Hello? I see. Thank you for telling me," she said and hung up a frown on her face.

"What is it?" Maddy asked.

"It's Gabe," she said, "he didn't come to school this morning. His father called and said that he was sick. I need to go to his flat and check on him." There was a knock then and the door opened.

"Abby," a man said excitedly, "The oven has stopped working again."

"Turn off the power and toggle the switch a few times. The light should come on then."

"We did toggle it, but it still won't work, and we were fixing lunch."

Abby stood and walked toward the door. "Oh I need to visit Gabe!" she said.

"Let me go instead," Maddy said, "he should remember me. Just tell me the address and I'll take a cab."

"No need for a cab," Abby said, "he's just down the street." Abby bent over the desk and drew a small map on the back of an envelope next to Gabe's address. "Call me to tell me what's going on. Thanks for this Maddy. You're an angel."

"Don't mention it," Maddy said as Abby ran off.

Maddy left the shelter and walked down the street past parked cars and trucks, stepping over oil-slicked puddles on her way to Gabe's flat. His flat was on the ground floor. It was away from the main road facing an alley. There were broken toys and garbage littering the step. She knocked, and a man came to the door. He had stubble that was halfway toward becoming a beard, and he smelled of beer despite the fact that it wasn't even lunchtime yet. "What do you want?" he asked testily.

"Hello," Maddy said, "I came on behalf of Abigail from the shelter. I just wanted to see if Gabriel was alright."

"You from social services? I lost one boy, I won't let no one take the other." The man said and stepped inside ready to close the door.

"I'm not social services," she said, "you ever seen one of them come to a place with their child? No, I was with Gabe the day Michael was taken."

The man stopped. He seemed to see her the first time. "Did you see my Michael?" He looked stricken. His face wracked with worry.

"No, I never saw him, but ...can I come in?"

The man let her into their flat. It was small with dirty white walls. He walked into a small yellow kitchen with a chipped linoleum table. There was a half-drunk beer sitting on it. The man sat down and Maddy sat across from him looking at the small window over the sink and the stack of dirty dishes. An ashtray full of cigarette butts sat on the table, but he moved it over to the counter when she sat picking up a dishcloth and making a half-hearted attempt to clean the surface.

"Do you want anything? Water? Coffee?" he asked.

"No, I don't need anything. Thank You."

The man sat again. He leaned forward putting his head in his hands, his elbows on the table. He didn't say anything, so Maddy started, "We heard that Gabe didn't go to school today and we were afraid that something might have happened to him. Is he alright?"

"Gabe is fine," the man said, "Gabe is safe. I told him to stay home today."

"Why?"

The man looked up at her, "Someone took my son. They raped my other son, and you're asking me why he has to miss a school day? The police have no leads. They don't know where he is. They don't know if he's alive or dead. I can't do nothin'. If I could find those bastards that took him I would kill them with my bare hands. Since I can't, I'm going to make damn sure they can't hurt my other son again."

"So do you plan on staying here forever? You can't just lock your son away."

"What else can I do? This kind of thing isn't supposed to happen. I thought my biggest problem was a boy who ran away every other month. Michael was the good one. He never did anything bad. He was a model student. Why did they have to take him? He wasn't the good for nothin' one."

Maddy sucked in a breath. She turned her head and saw Gabe standing in the hallway. His lower lip jutting out. His eyes hard but shiny. She turned back to the father. "What are you going to do about money? Don't you have to work?" The man took another swig of beer, but said nothing. "Do you mind if I talk to Gabe then?" Maddy asked. He shook his head and gestured toward the hallway. Gabe wasn't standing there anymore.

Maddy rose and walked down the hall to Gabriel's room. The door was open and she could see a neat room with two beds in it. Apparently the brothers slept together. Michael's bed was neatly made. It had a red and blue striped duvet on it. Gabe sat on his bed staring at it. "Close the door please," he said.

Maddy closed the door. She looked at the empty bed once before deciding to sit at the desk. "She yours?" Gabe asked pointing at her baby.

"Yes, this is Eliza."

"Why is she here?"

"I couldn't get babysitting," Maddy said, "What about you. Why are you here?"

He frowned, "Because he won't let me go nowhere. The old man has gotten all fatherly now that Michael is gone. I said that I was going after him, and he was so mad he almost broke the table. He says there is no way that he's letting me out there again. It'd be sort of nice if I didn't have to stay here with him all of the time. Is there any word of Michael? Any news at all?"

Eliza looked around the room. It was full of Michael's drawings, his posters, his school books. The only thing missing was him. There was a picture on the wall of the brothers. Gabriel was wearing a football uniform with his arm around a little boy with an adorably cute face, brown hair, and deep green eyes. Staying in here doing nothing must be driving Gabriel crazy. She knew, because doing nothing was driving her crazy too.

We have some lead, some suspects, but no proof, not yet. Has anyone tried to harm you or to find you again?" she asked.

"How can I know?" he said, "I haven't set foot out of this flat, and if Dad doesn't go to work again today he'll probably lose his job. He doesn't look like he's going anywhere though. That's his second beer."

"What if I could arrange for someone to watch you."

"I don't need a babysitter!" Gabriel said vehemently.

"Not a babysitter," Maddy said, "someone to watch you so he can go to work without worrying that someone will just come in here and take you like they did Michael. If I convinced him, would you go along with it?"

Gabe sat up straight and rubbed his chin. "Yeah okay," he said, "I'll take a babysitter if it'll get him to leave."

Maddy pulled out her phone. It rang twice before she picked up. "Hello Shawna, I've got a job for you. How good are you with children?"

"I'm not a child!" Gabe yelled.

"I mean with irritating teenagers? Yes, you'll be inside all day, and there will be food. Good, meet me at the shelter I told you about. In an hour. I'll be there."

Maddy walked into the kitchen and talked to Gabriel's father. He was suspicious at first, but she convinced him that it was for the best.  
"Someone will be with him at all times. You can go to work, and no one from the school or social services will hear about it."

She knew that she had won when he stood and poured out his beer in the sink. He was still worried, but he was willing to take help when he needed it. When he walked her out, she noticed that the flat across the hall from his had a broken window. "Who lives there?" she asked.

"Nobody," he said, "The landlord has been trying to unload it for months. The kids throw rocks, brats and vagrants all of them." Maddy peered in. The room looked small but clean.

"I see, when do you have to be at work?" she asked.

"Three o'clock" he said.

"We'll be here by two."

Maddy walked back to the shelter and waited for Shawna. Abby let her use her private bath to shower and they dressed her in some of the cast away clothes which were worn but clean. "What am I doing?" Shawna asked.

"You are babysitting a boy whose brother was kidnapped."

"What do I do if something happens?"

"You call," Maddy said. She reached into her pocket and started a text. Then she looked over and read the number off of Abby's phone typing them in and pushing send. "I'm texting you Abby's number, if you can't get me, call her. We don't think anyone will try to harm him, but then again they might, he was witness to a kidnapping. Best you stay in the flat. I'll go the store and buy you some food. What do you want to eat?"

Shawna looked at her surprised that she would ask. She stood for a moment with a confused look on her face and then she said, "Pasta and pasta sauce?"

"Fine," Maddy said, "And I'll get you some tea and biscuits. I think Gabe's father only drinks coffee and beer."

* * % * *

Early that evening Maddy walked tiredly up the steps to John's flat. Eliza was already asleep, and Maddy was close to being so when the phone rang. She answered, "Hello."

"Are we still on for tonight?" Mycroft's silken voice said. Maddy jumped. She had forgotten that she had chosen today for their second date. She looked at the time. He would be there in an hour.

"Oh, give me a moment to change," she said.

"If you are too tired from doing your charity work we can reschedule," he said.

"No, don't," Maddy said, "I could really use a night out. I'll be ready." Maddy turned around and walked back downstairs to knock on Mrs Hudson's door.

That evening Maddy rushed out in her high heels and the same red dress. She didn't have many dating clothes, and she was too tired to worry about the fact that she couldn't afford a new outfit. Mycroft was in the driver's seat of the silver coup. She climbed inside and they roared away.

Mycroft was wearing the same fake glasses, but this time he wore a blue jacket which sat open over a plain white shirt with no tie. A red handkerchief was peeking out of his breast pocket. Compared to his normal dress, he looked almost naked.

The restaurant where they ate was a chain that served hearty food and was frequented by the middle class. It had a bar near the front with televisions which were constantly showing football. Mycroft had reserved a table in the back.

"This is a walk-in place," Maddy said, "you don't need to make a reservation."

"I know," he said, "but they take reservations nonetheless."

Their table was in a back corner, nearer the kitchens, but away from most of the crowd. Even so, Mycroft winced at their yells, wrinkling his nose and brow when they grew too loud. Mycroft was disturbed by loud noises. Especially many people talking at once. He soaked up information like a sponge, and he didn't like places that were too stimulating. That was why he preferred cars with shaded windows, and dining alone at a club where no one was allowed to talk.

Maddy realized then what a huge concession it had been for him to agree to her terms. _A normal date, like a normal middle class couple in public wearing clothes that would blend in_. He only grimaced for a moment, then he calmed his face taking the menu from the waitress and glancing at each page briefly before folding it and laying it aside. He had already memorized it.

The waitress asked if we were ready to order, and Maddy glanced up at Mycroft knowing that he would have already decided what was best, and what they both would like. She nodded at him and the corner of his mouth twitched up for a second into a smile. Turning to the waitress he ordered. "I'll have the top sirloin steak, medium-rare with potatoes, and she will have the fish of the day, and two glasses of the Muscadet to start with."

A smile touched his eyes and the edge of his lips as he handed the menus back to the waitress and stared across at Maddy.

"Isn't it customary to have red wine with steak?" Maddy asked.

"Tonight isn't about me," Mycroft said threading his fingers together and placing them under his chin as he leaned forward with his elbows on the table. "So Madeline, how have you been enjoying your vacation here in London? Good times I hope."

Maddy frowned, "Well, this kidnapping has me a bit flustered," she said, "It's disturbing to think that someone can just take a child like that. It's upsetting, I think of it happening to Eliza."

"Eliza is safe, don't worry," he said in that way that made her wonder about how many people had been assigned to watch her.

"Your brow is wrinkling, Madeline. You need to take time to relax. Talk of something trivial that will take your mind off of the matters that worry you."

"Is that what you do?" Maddy asked.

"Well, no," Mycroft said, "But I don't have a problem thinking about...disturbing things. I have some very disturbing things that I am thinking of at this moment, but they are in the background of my mind. I am simply restating what I have heard others say._ 'put it out of your mind'_. I believe that is the phrase. So, let us speak of something mundane and middle-class. Did you watch any new shows on telly?"

Maddy smiled, "You're making fun of me aren't you?" she said.

"A bit," he replied.

She sat up in her chair rising to his bait. "As a matter of fact, I did see an interesting show," she said.

The corner of his eyebrow raised. "Interesting?" he asked, "What was it about?"

"Military history," she said.

Mycroft sat forward. "Military history? I didn't know that you had an interest in it."

"Oh yeah," she said, "When I was in high school, I had this really good history teacher. He had a PhD. He had gone to a military academy. He used to tell us stories about battles all the time. He'd talk about castle defenses, and how you build to prevent blind spots. He had us do triangulation and let us shoot off a trebuchet, so when I saw the show I had to watch it. It's a series. The last one was about the pike square. Do you know about the pike square?"

"You are referring, I suppose, to the battle strategy employed by Swiss troops against Charles the Bold in 1477 at the Battle of Nancy whereby a set of well trained men with pikes were able to defeat armed cavalry."

"I should have known that you would know all about it. So much for me trying to sound intelligent. I don't remember the date, but there were these blokes with spears and they marched around in a square."

"Demonstrations of such techniques are often performed by military units as a training exercise. It might be possible for us to attend one if you are interested. I never imagined that you would be interested in such a thing."

"Well, I suppose that there are still a lot of things that you don't know about me," she said glancing up into his eyes which regarded her curiously. Mycroft licked his lips and the outside of his eyes wrinkled in amusement before traveling down her body and resting a moment on her cleavage. He glanced back up at her face, his eyes burning her with their intensity.

The food arrived, and Maddy frowned down at the plate of fish steeped in a yellow sauce. She cautiously took a bite of the fish, and then her entire face changed. "This is good!" she said, "This is excellent. How did you know Mycroft? Do you secretly eat here?"

Mycroft laughed at that, a brief true smile crossing his lips. "No," he said, "The chef working tonight used to work at a well known seaside restaurant that specialized in fish dishes such as this. The owner offered him an increase in salary and the ability to head a staff in London. Since he has worked here, they have changed their fish supplier to one that is slightly more expensive, but much more particular. This shipment arrived from the dock only this afternoon, and therefore I knew that this dish would be fresh and well prepared. I am glad that you liked it."

"You always do such a good job of thinking these things through," Maddy said, "Is there a similar story for the wine?"

"Alas no," he said, "The wine selection here is very limited. Beer is much more common in this kind of establishment. I simply chose one that I thought that you would like. I am not drinking tonight as I will be driving."

"I see," Maddy said, "Then if you don't mind..." She reached across and took Mycroft's glass drinking down the wine as she stared across the top of the glass into his eyes.

Their eyes strayed frequently across the table as they ate. Maddy sat with the fork in her mouth remembering all the meals they used to have together. She always thought that he looked very dainty when he ate. Dabbing his mouth with the edge of his napkin. She glanced at his lips and then down his chin to his shirt. His top button was open revealing an expanse of white neck that was uncharacteristic of him. It was so pale from never having seen the sun that it almost glowed in the dim light of the restaurant. It looked soft. Maddy noticed that she had been staring a bit too long. She looked up to find him staring back at her. Maddy put down her fork.

"Are you finished?" he asked, "Would you like us to go to the cinema now? There are a selection of appropriately banal romantic comedies on that you might like."

"No," she said, pushing her plate aside as she leaned forward lowering her voice, "Mrs Hudson is expecting me at one. If we leave now for your house, we would have three solid hours together before anyone would expect to hear from us.

Mycroft's eyes dilated and his smile became incandescent. He placed the napkin down on the table and rose to his feet, walking around to pull out the chair for her. He placed the cash in the booklet and then tossed down a hundred pound tip before walking behind her as they left the restaurant.


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning, Maddy arranged to have Mrs. Hudson watch Eliza for the day. She and Mrs Turner had decided to take her to the zoo. Maddy had decided that it was time to solve this case and get the boy back.

She held the card in her hand with the address that John had found for the offices of Konstantin Alexopoulos. That morning she had dropped by Mycroft's house and changed into some of her old wardrobe. Now she walked confidently through the lobby and into the mirror fronted elevator. She entered the office of the World Angels Success Foundation and walked up to a desk manned by a blond woman with a pinched face and a black and white dress. "May I help you?" she asked.

"Yes thank you!" Maddy said talking slowly and formally, "My name is Madeline St. Martin. I'm sure that you've heard of me. I head the Holmes Homeless Foundation and I have an appointment with Mr Alexopoulos."

"Mr Alexopoulos doesn't see visitors," she said.

"He will see me. I called before, did you not get the message. Call upstairs to ask."

The woman frowned, "I'm sorry but Mr Alexopoulos sees no one."

"Are you saying that you are not his secretary? Oh I see. Can you give me her number."

"I am Mr Alexopoulos' secretary, but he sees no one but Mr. Blackwell."

"Excuse me for being rude, but if you don't make his appointments, what exactly are you paid to do? I have an appointment with Mr Alexopoulos. I have asked you to call to confirm. Will you please check with him now."

The woman rose to her feet, her face hard as stone, "Madam, I have told you that Mr. Alexopoulos does not have an appointment with you, I must ask you to leave now, or I will call security."

Maddy looked down her nose at the woman. "I must say that your manners have much to be desired. I shall come back at another time. Good day." Then she turned on her heel and walked out of the office. She went to the elevator and pushed the button. She hadn't found put much, but she confirmed that Mr. Blackwell was the one who spoke for him. The elevator opened and a janitor came out. Maddy watched as she wheeled a cart down the hall. The elevator closed behind Maddy as she stared after the janitor, an idea forming in her head. The janitor took out her keys and unlocked the door to a private washroom. She took out some rolls of toilet paper and walked into the room leaving her keys on the cart.

Maddy took off her shoes and walked quickly toward the cart. She peeked into the room watching as the woman entered a stall, then she took the keys. She ran to the end of the hall. One door had an emergency sign on it. It was the stairwell leading down. Next to it was a separate door which read **authorized use only**. She tried different keys in succession until one of them fit. Then she bent down and wedged her shoe in the door to keep it open. She could hear the maid returning, so she rushed back to the cart just as the woman returned with a trash bag. She dug in her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, "Is it alright if I throw this in here?" she asked thrusting the paper in front of the woman's face as she returned the keys. The woman nodded and she dropped the paper into the trash container before turning away. The maid picked up some paper towels and then turned back and picked up her keys before returning to the washroom.

Maddy walked back to the end of the hall. She retrieved her shoe and entered the stairwell closing the door behind her, then she climbed up to the top. Luckily the door was unlocked. She found herself in a hall with a yellow-orange carpet and white wallpaper threaded with silver vines. There were windows on the ends of the hall with a fabulous view of the city. An elevator stood a the other end of the short hallway, and double doors led into the penthouse.

Maddy walked over to the doors and knocked. If he asked, she could claim that the secretary had let her in, but she would see this Alexopoulos who kidnapped children. Oh yes, she would see the man. She knocked. Then she knocked again. Then she knocked louder. Then she tried the door. It was open.

"Hello," she said as she leaned into the room. The place was magnificent. Large, there wasn't a description for how big this room was. It couldn't be called a living room. Maybe a lobby. The walls were glowing white, with striped wallpaper that had a pearlescent sheen

The furniture was burnished wood all golden and gorgeous. There were huge windows looking out either side of the room, the back wall was a wall of glass looking out on the London skyline. A white couch sat in the middle of the room. There was a desk against one wall, and rooms going off to either side. Straight ahead, glass doors led out to a pool with a hot tub and a garden.

Maddy walked into the apartment. She strode up to the windows looking out at the view and then she knocked and opened the bedroom door. There was a large bed there, but no one was in it. In fact, although it was elegant, it was empty and impersonal like a guest room. No one had lived here in months. She walked around checking the other rooms. The place was beautiful but vacant. There was certainly no indication that a sickly old man lived here. Hospital beds, nurses, oxygen tanks were all missing. Even the trash was empty, everywhere except for the bar and the writing desk.

Maddy looked through the trash next to the desk. There were some pieces of plastic, rolled up paper napkins, and a matchbox. She picked up the matchbox. It was empty but she put it into her pocket anyway. There was a large ashtray on the desk full of ash, but no cigarette butts. There were no butts in the trash either. She opened the drawers. The top drawer had pencils and pens and some blank paper with letterhead for the foundation.

The side desk was full of bric a brac. Four wax candles, a roll of white ribbon, scissors, a pair of pliers and wire along with other odds and ends. Wedged far in the back was a picture. It must have sat on the desk at one time, but someone had thrust it away, It showed a grandfatherly like old man with Greek features holding a child while smiling children stood around him. He looked...nice. It was hard to think of him as evil, but then looks can be deceiving. She was just about to search the bar when a sound came from the hallway.

She thought for a minute about standing here and claiming to have been lost, but as the footsteps came closer, she bolted, rushing to the bedroom and closing the door behind her. She thought briefly of hiding under the bed, or in the closet, choosing instead to crouch under a table behind the door.

She could hear the sound of a man's footsteps. He walked past the door. He was talking to someone. She sat as still as she could. The man stopped in front of the door. "What do you mean he doesn't want to pay it. You tell him that if he doesn't want the papers to hear about the activities that he gets up to on the weekends that he had better get that payment in to us on time...I don't care if he's getting audited or not. That's his problem..." Then the steps walked away. She could hear the sounds of glasses clinking. He was making himself a drink. The footsteps moved over to the desk and there was the sound of a wooden chair being pushed back. The drink clinked onto the desk and she heard the sound of typing. The man must have brought a laptop. There was the sound of a laptop closing and the chair moved again. The steps were coming toward the bedroom.

Maddy crouched down low just as a door opened, banging against the table that she was under. Maddy leaned to the side hoping to hide herself behind a potted tree near the table, but she was woefully exposed. There was a man standing with his back to her. He was wearing a pale suit. he tossed his tie and coat down on the bed and then turned toward the wardrobe. He opened the mirrored doors and entered.

Maddy considered bolting around the still open door, but he came out then carrying a suit still in it's plastic dry cleaning wrapper. He tossed it on the bed and began to undo his shirt before walking through a door and into the bathroom.

Maddy heard the sound of the shower and she crawled across the floor and out of the open bedroom door. She looked briefly at the silver laptop. A spy might open it, tap it somehow, but all that she wanted to do was flee. She stood taking off her shoes and rushed for the front doors opening one and closing it as quietly as she could before making her way back to the stairwell. She went down the stairs, and out into the lower hall, then she opened the emergency stairwell and walked down all of the flights of stairs not trusting the elevator. She kept going until she exited the building in a back alley.

Her heart felt like it was beating a million miles a minute, and not because of the stairs. She walked three blocks before taking the first bus that she saw. She sat there letting the bus drive her somewhere while she calmed down. Something about that place terrified her. She texted Sherlock.

**[Penthouse empty of old man. Only talks to Mr Blackwell.]**

**[Good, come for debrief at the hour - 0]**

Maddy sighed.

When Maddy returned, Mrs Hudson was still out. She climbed the stairs to find John in the flat. She sat on the couch and sighed with relief. "I'm so glad to be back," Maddy said, "I went by the WASF offices today and broke into Alexopoulos' flat but he wasn't there. Some other man came in and took a shower and so I high-tailed it out of there. Apparently, Mr. Blackwell is the only one who ever sees him. That was probably him in the flat. Well I call it a flat, it was more like a series of flats. I'd never seen a penthouse apartment before."

It was only after she had taken off her shoes that she realized that John wasn't saying a word. "Is something wrong?" Maddy asked looking at him.

"Tell me, Maddy" John said his mouth in a thin line, "who exactly are you?"


	12. Chapter 12

Maddy looked at John's serious expression. "What do you mean who am I? I'm Maddy."

"You know what I mean," John said.

"No I don't. What's wrong, John?"

John crossed his legs toward her. "I want to know who you were before you came here. Who you were before I met you on that bridge, because you've been lying to me, Maddy. All of those texts that you've been hiding from me. Who are you talking to? You said that you have no family, no contacts but you have been working on this case as if casework is not new to you. Strange for a formerly homeless mother to be able to pull names out of a hat like that, Alexopoulos. How did you know his name? Mycroft you said, but Mycroft is not the kind of man to gossip. Unless ... perhaps he sent you to spy on me. That's it isn't it. You left, and then you called me on my private number. I asked how you knew the number and you said 'Mycroft'. Mycroft planted you on that bridge to find me? To evoke my compassion? He would do such a thing, tricky bastard."

"John, no, I didn't even know Mycroft back then. When I met you on the bridge, it was by chance. I didn't know that you would be there."

"When you first saw me on the bridge, the night that I was thinking of jumping, you said that you knew me. How did you know me?"

Maddy crossed her arms nervously. Was this the time to confess? "I had seen you before, with Mr. Holmes...Sherlock."

"You knew Sherlock?"

"Yes."

"How?"

Maddy turned her face away. "I don't know if I can tell you."

John put his feet flat on the floor and leaned toward her. "Maddy, I let you into my home, counted you as a friend, I've never asked anything of you before, but I swear that you are not leaving this room until you tell me what you know."

Maddy stared at John's dark eyes, noticing the way he stood tensed like a tiger about to strike, and suddenly she remembered that of all the people she had met in the last few years, he was the only one likely to have killed people with his bare hands. She closed her eyes and smiled. "Yes, I knew Mr Holmes. Met him on Waterloo bridge years ago. I was one of his homeless network."

"What?" John said, "Why didn't you ever tell me? We've been friends for years. Why didn't you say that you knew Sherlock?"

"He made me promise not to."

The muscles around John's eyes twitched as his gaze bored into her. "He made you promise not to tell me that you knew him, why? What reason could he have to ask that of you? What did you do for him?"

Maddy bit her lip, turning her head away from John's gaze. "Sherlock asked me to watch you. To watch over you, make sure that you were safe."

"When? How? Weren't you homeless, penniless, how were you supposed to do that?"

"I don't know! He didn't give me any instructions. He just gave me this crazy job to do and then he was gone. I wasn't supposed to ever meet you, or even talk to you. He was the one who put your number in my phone, but only to use in an emergency. Meeting you on the bridge. That was chance, but I was glad that I was there. I would have helped you even if he had never asked me to. It's just that when you invited me back to your flat, it seemed like...I had finally found a way to fulfill his last wish...to help... I mean..."

John was sitting back staring at the ceiling or at nothing. His mouth was open. He might be in shock.

"John, are you all right. Honestly, I never meant to harm you. You've got to believe me."

"Oh, I believe you," John said a roughness in his voice, "It is exactly his style to bully a homeless woman into feeling responsible for someone else. To give her an impossible job with no direction. Sherlock always asked too much of people. He never believed in limitations."

Maddy looked down at the floor, "I'm sorry John. I'm sorry. I've been hiding things from the beginning, and now you hate me, because I lied to you."

"No Maddy, I don't hate you." John cracked a smile and gave one sharp laugh. "I'm disappointed that you hid this from me for so long, but I'm not angry. Not at you. You just reminded me of something that I had forgotten."

"What was that?" Maddy asked.

"That Sherlock Holmes was an idiot. I've been tearing myself apart ever since he died. '_Why didn't I see it. What did I do that contributed to him wanting to take his life?' _It haunted my nights. Filled my days with regret. Trying to figure out how I could have stopped him, but now I realize that it wasn't me. Sherlock must have had a plan, and like an idiot he just threw himself off that roof assuming that I would know that."

John started to laugh, but his laughter sounded more like hysteria and tears filled his eyes. "The point is ... people who suicide are usually thinking of themselves. They're trapped inside themselves. He wasn't. He was doing things. He was making plans. He told you to watch over me. He was thinking of what would happen after his death. That means that he must have had some reason for it all. There was a reason for being on that roof, for jumping off of it.

"He didn't tell me what he was doing, or what he was planning to do, but _he was planning!_ This was a plan. There was a purpose to it all. Christ, I've been blind! Sherlock was expecting me to do something all of this time, but I've been sitting here wallowing in self-pity and doubt when I should have been doing ...what? Damn it Sherlock! What did you want me to do?" John was on his feet now his hand over his mouth. He walked past Maddy into his bedroom and shut the door.

Maddy fell back on the couch. She took several deep breaths. She hadn't broken her promise. She hadn't told him that Sherlock was alive, but it was a close thing. She didn't know what John was doing or what he would ask her when he finally got over his shock. She needed to leave here, and now.

Maddy put on her shoes and coat and walked down the stairs. Mrs Hudson and Eliza were still out. She pulled out her phone and dialed Mycroft.

"Hello Maddy," he said. She could hear the smile in his voice. "Did you have a good morning."

"I had an interesting one," she said, "I need a ride."

"I'm in a security meeting now. It's not a good time for me."

"I'm not coming for you. I want to see the wizard."

"I see," Mycroft said, "a taxi will drive up to your front door in ten minutes. The license number will be 5278PPM. Climb inside and it will take you where you want to go. Under no circumstances climb into any vehicle without this number. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Maddy said.

"Good. Stay there, and when I have time, I will come to you."

"I'll be waiting," Maddy said and closed the connection.

The taxi entered a parking garage and drove down and down. Then the driver climbed out and led her to an elevator. He put a key in the lock and turned it. The elevator door closed and they both went down past the marked floors to someplace below. The door opened and the driver pointed to a closed door before turning the key again and going back up leaving her in a hallway, alone.

She walked through the grey-walled hall across the white tiled floor and stared at the unmarked door. She considered knocking, but she turned the knob and entered.

There was the sound of typing. The wall was across from the door had a large map of London on it. There were pins stuck into different places and photographs tied to the pins by red string. She entered the room and turned to see Sherlock sitting at a desk typing into his laptop. To his left were five screens. One was an extra monitor scrolling some data. The other screens showed closed circuit cameras looking out at the city. Each screen held four images, and they winked out and were replaced with others every few seconds. Maddy found it incredibly chaotic. The rest of the room was grey and unremarkable. It held a few desks, a cot in the corner, A mini-fridge and a microwave. There was a door that led to a bathroom and a steel wardrobe whose open door showed clothing hanging on hooks.

"Sit down, Maddy and start from the beginning," Sherlock said without looking up from his screen.

"The beginning of what?" Maddy asked.

"The beginning of your day. Tell me everything that happened and please give me whatever it is that you have in your pocket. You may damage it before I have a chance to look at it for clues."

"In my pocket, I don't have any..." but when she reached in she noticed the match box. "Oh yes, this box came from the trash can next to the desk..." she began holding it out to Sherlock who took it in his hands and examined it briefly before putting it on the table behind him.

"No Maddy, I said from the beginning. I want to know everything that you saw. There may be clues that you saw but did not understand. Start from when you were standing outside of the building. What did you hear, what did it smell like. No detail is irrelevant. Paint me a picture," he said and then he swivelled his chair around to face her, steepling his hands under his chin as he closed his eyes.

Maddy did as he asked and recounted her day. He only opened his eyes twice. First when she described the contents of the desk, and next when she told of her discussion with John. He asked her to repeat word for word everything that John had said, then he turned away from her. "Your mouth is dry, Maddy. Go to the refrigerator and get yourself a bottle of water," he said, his face turned away from hers as he sat silently in his chair. She rose to her feet and walked away to give him a moment of privacy. She bent down and looked through the takeout boxes and a half-empty milk containers until she found the bottled water. She took one and seeing that Sherlock was still silent, She took a look at the map. After she did, she wasn't sure that she should have.

There was a pin next to the river. The picture was of a dead man lying on the ground face down. His clothes soiled by the mud. Another picture showed the backside of a child. It was red as if the child had been severely beaten or burned. The child looked to be about three years old. There was blood on a wall. A piece of chain, a suitcase fished from the water containing clothes for a girl of about seven or eight. A picture was building in Maddy's mind, and Sherlock was right, she didn't really want to know what was going on.

The door opened and Mycroft entered. Sherlock turned toward him. "What do you have?" he asked.

"And a good day to you too, Sherlock. When will you ever learn your manners?"

"I don't have time for small talk, Mycroft. You have something. Just tell us."

"Konstantin R. Alexopoulos is dead."

"What?" Maddy asked, "When did he die?"

"He died and was buried in his hometown in Greece over three years ago."


	13. Chapter 13

"Alexopoulos is dead?" Maddy said, "then who is running his company?"

"You've answered that for us already, Maddy. All decisions go through Mr. Charles Blackwell, so he must be the one running the show. Funny that he didn't think it fit to tell anyone that Alexopoulos is dead."

"What better scapegoat is there than a dead man?"Mycroft interjected, "If something is revealed, they can lay all the blame on him and other than a dead man's reputation, no one gets hurt."

"Someone gets hurt alright," Maddy said, "those children have been hurt. We know who's behind it all now. Let's call the police and arrest him."

"For what? What evidence do you have? We have a missing boy and hearsay. Not enough to prosecute a man, especially one with the connections that he must have to have remained hidden from me for so long."

"From you?"

"Don't you remember, Maddy, when we were guests of Mr Kinney the terrorist, I told you that I had helped enact legislation to close down illegal prostitution rings. I will certainly be able to make it very uncomfortable for Mr Blackwell, but only if I have proof."

"What kind of proof?" she asked.

"Conclusive proof," Mycroft said, "Sherlock, do you have it yet?"

"No," Sherlock said, "We have to get into that meeting. I have a strong feeling that we will find more than enough proof there."

"I'm sorry," Maddy said, "maybe I should have opened his laptop to see if he had any names there."

"No Maddy, " Sherlock said, "You did the right thing escaping when you did."

"Escaping where?" Mycroft asked, "Madeline, I do hope that you are not engaging in any dangerous field work."

"Oh!" Sherlock said, "I think you may have given us the clue that we need to find the person that we are looking for. Mycroft, do you have access to inland revenue data?"

"Of course, what do you need?"

"Audits. What prominent people are currently being audited?"

"I will check," Mycroft said and he walked across to the other side of the room as he dialed. Maddy stood beside Sherlock who was typing furiously on the keyboard.

"What is it? What clue have you found?" Maddy asked.

"You told me that when Blackwell was on the phone, he was talking about sending information to the newspapers. Obviously this was blackmail. He said, _'who cares if he's being audited'_. We are looking for a man of good income, who is currently being audited, and is afraid of bad media coverage. And when we find him, I will need you to help me search his flat."

"Me, why?" Maddy asked.

"Because you are the one who saw the desk. It is my belief that something on that desk or in that desk is the secret badge that they show to get into the meeting. I'll need you to get some new clothes. Here, let me get you a list." Sherlock turned and began writing on a notepad.

"You want me to buy clothes?"

"Yes, for undercover work. Here." Maddy looked at the list.

_Shoes - Black flats_

_Skirt - 3/4 length black pencil skirt_

_Blouse - Something white and frilly_

_Glasses - Black_

"I'm not made of money, Sherlock!" Maddy said, "How am I supposed to pay for all of this?"

"Get Mycroft to pay for it. For heaven sake! Most people who sleep with Mycroft ask for the money first."

Mycroft turned to glare at Sherlock from across the room. He still had a phone to his ear.

Later, after a quiet car ride and a kiss, Maddy was back in the bedroom at Baker street feeding Eliza. She had decided to spend as much time as she could in her room in order to avoid John who she was afraid would ask for more details about Sherlock. School was starting very, very soon, and she didn't know how long it would take to solve this case, but she couldn't leave with that boy still lost. She just couldn't.

There was a beep on her phone and she looked down to see a message. The message read simply:

**[Its cold.]**

It was Shawna. In all of the excitement Maddy had forgotten about her. She had asked her to babysit Gabriel and didn't check up on her. Probably, once the father had come home he had asked her to leave. She had nowhere to go but back on the streets.

Maddy looked at the window. It was shaking from the force of the wind. A cold breeze from the north was tearing through and it looked like ice and snow were beginning to come down. Shawna was out there in that freezing cold.

Maddy put Eliza into the playpen and started down the stairs. She cautiously passed John's door and texted to Shawna to come up to the door of 221B. She cracked it, the cold air spilling in as she looked out at the swirling flurries of show, then she saw Shawna with her thin coat wrapped tightly around her. She stepped back and let her in.

First she went to room 221C to try the door. It was closed and padlocked. She thought about asking Mrs Hudson, but she decided against it, remembering what she had said before about housing people who could not pay. Instead she snuck Shawna into her room and closed the door. Shawna looked around the warm room and sat on the floor.

"Nice place you have here," Shawna said, "Warm."

"Yes it is, but I'm just a guest. It's going to be a horrible night. You can sleep here."

Maddy pulled her duvet off of the bed and lay it on the floor for Shawna to lie on. She sat on the edge of the bed as Shawna wrapped it around her shoulders rubbing her hands to warm them.

"So Shawna, how did it go with Gabe?"

"He's alright," she said, "he's a bit of a snot, but when you get past that he's a good kid. His father isn't that nice though, rude. Kicked me out without a 'by your leave'."

"I'm sorry Shawna. I forgot to call."

"No worries, luv, I was glad for the food and the warm house. The kid was okay too. Haven't had a chance to make pasta for a long time. No kitchen. It was nice."

"So, what brings you to be on the streets? You seem nice enough. You're not a drunk, and you're not crazy."

"Me mum wouldn't agree with you there," Shawna said, "As soon as I come of age she kicked me out, and here I am. What about you? You said you used to be homeless. What's your story."

Maddy smiled, "Oh it's a long story."

"I'm going nowheres, mate," Shawna said.

"Well, I never really told anyone the whole story. Some were able to figure it out on their own, and some never asked. But if you want to know, I'll tell you everything.


	14. Chapter 14

In the warmth of John's old room, Shawna sat wrapped up in a duvet. The baby had fallen asleep in the playpen. She was lying on her back with her mouth open. Maddy reached over and pulled the baby blanket up to cover her before sitting cross-legged on the bed.

"So, go on," Shawna said, "tell me how you got to be here."

Maddy picked up her pillow and clutched it over her stomach. "Okay," she said, "I just don't know where to begin."

"Try the beginning," Shawna said leaning back onto the floor and propping her head on her arm.

"Fine. I was born in Chicago," she said, "but I don't remember that, not at all. My parents moved away from there when I was less than a year old. When I was a baby, I lived in New York. That's New York state, not the city. Everyone assumes that when you say New York, you mean New York City, but I don't. We lived upstate, on a nice tree-lined street not far from where my father worked.

You see, my father was quite a bit older than my mother. He was an engineer. They met when he was working at this factory that they were building. I'm sorry to say, I don't know what the factory does. I really never knew what my dad did. He was living in Knoxville at the time he met her. He would go to this coffee shop on the way to work. My mom worked there. She was a student then at the University of Tennessee majoring in communications. Mom said that he was really shy, but he came by every day to buy a cup of coffee from her and chat.

They started dating, but it came to a head when the factory was finished and they assigned him to move to Chicago. Mom left school to marry Dad. Mom said later that she wished that she had had a chance to finish her degree, but it couldn't be helped.

They stayed in Chicago when they were first married, then we lived in New York. I sort of remember it. I've seen the pictures. I went to preschool there, and first grade. Then my Dad was assigned to London. He rented a place for us here. It was on the ground floor near a park. Our neighbor was a woman named Mildred Price. She had a granddaughter named Suzanna who was a year older than me. We became best friends.

I went to the American school. Mom and Dad were serious about my proper development, so when Dad was sent to Hong Kong, we stayed here. Life in London was really fun. Maman Mildred was from France. She spoke with this accent, "Ah little Maddy!" she would say "come here and help me stir this pot,". She was really nice. She helped my Mom a lot. You see, Mom wasn't that good of a cook, but she was ambitious. She was always having these disasters in the kitchen when she tried to make things that she didn't know how to make. Maman Mildred would come over and take the pot out of her hand fixing everything so that it was perfect. I loved her. It was like she was my grandmother.

I had real grandparents back in Tennessee. We would visit them during Summer Vacation. Dad would take time off, and come to London. Then the three of us would fly to Tennessee and stay with my Grandpa and Grandma. That was before she died. Grandpa didn't die until I was eleven.

When I was ten, Susanna moved away. Her Dad had lived in Italy for a while, and he had just come back to London when he found out that he had a daughter. He was married and had kids of his own who they were a lot older than her. Apparently, her mom had never told him about her, but he found out and got custody. Suzanna moved someplace north of London. I was devastated. We promised that we'd find a way to get back together someday. Maman Mildred was sad too. She sort of adopted me after that. I was in her house almost as much as my own.

But then my Dad got reassigned to New York, and we moved back there. When I was twelve, my dad died in a car accident. Mom and I moved to Tennessee and lived in Grandpa's old house. Mama took a job as a receptionist for a packaging company. It was hard for us then. It seemed that everyone had left us. Then Mom started dating, 'that man'. He was an old boyfriend of hers. He owned this store that sold car parts. She married him, and we moved into his house.

He started out all nice and sweet, but he had a temper. He was jealous too, stupid jealous. He'd accuse my Mom of flirting with the mailman or the grocer. It was insane.

Me, he just disliked. He never said anything in front of Mom, but you can tell when someone hates you. He would talk to me all nasty when she wasn't around, calling me ugly. Accused me of having sex with the boys at school, like that makes sense. I was thirteen. It was mortifying having him talk about my breasts and clothes.

When I got to high school, I decided that I was going to get out of this town at any cost. My best friend, Vibha, was from India. We called her Vi. Her parents ran a donut shop in town. She was dating this cousin of hers. He had come to town when his Dad came looking for work. He was older, so he would drive us places. They were cool, and they taught me about stuff like the _Baghadvad Gita_, and the meaning of _Namaste_.

I spent as much time with them as I could, because home was becoming intolerable. That man was always yelling at me and my Mom. When I'd come home, he'd accuse me of 'spreading my legs for that Indian chap'. He said, 'You're going to be a whore just like your mother'. He was talking about his wife and he called her 'a whore'.

You've got to understand that my Mom was the sweetest woman that has ever been on this Earth. She was Catholic, and fairly religious. I wasn't raised too religious, because my dad wasn't that way, but I was baptised and went to confirmation and all that. For him to accuse HER of doing wrong when it was him who'd go to bars and flirt with the waitresses on weekends. He was such a hypocrite. He hit my mom once. I told her to call the police, but she wouldn't. Told me that everyone loses their temper once in a while, and I shouldn't say anything. I told Mom that she should leave him, but I think, Mom was afraid of living alone again.

When I was a sophomore in high school, my Mom got sick, cancer. She went through chemo and lost her hair. She was tired all of the time, and spent most of her time in bed. She was sure that she was going to die. She kept telling me about this money she had set aside for me, so that I could go to college. It was in the bank under my name and hers. I was going to go to the University of Tennessee just like she did, and get away from this town.

Mom died just before I turned seventeen. I was a junior in high school. I was really, really down for a long time. If Vi hadn't been there, I don't know what I would have done. She convinced me that soon things would change for me. I had money for college. When I graduated, I could leave this place forever. I was happier. I started back to school in the Fall determined to do well and get in to U Tennessee, but when I talked to 'that man' he said that the money was his.

I told him that Mom had set it aside for me to go to college. He told me that I could get a job and go to community college. He said that he was kicking me out the moment I graduated from high school, and that when that money cleared probate court that he was going to use it to buy a boat.

I had to get out of there, or he would take everything and leave me penniless. It seemed that everything had gone downhill since I'd left London. Maybe if I could get back here, things would start working out for me again. At least, that's what I thought. I'd be far enough away that they couldn't just call up Amber alert and drag me back home.

I had a passport, but it was a child's one, and it would expire when I was nineteen. He would have the money by then. I could still get to the money myself though, because when mom had been sick, she had signed me up to handle all of her financial transactions for her. So I planned my escape. I was going to leave the country to live with Maman Mildred.

It was Spring. He and his buddies were going fishing. They were leaving Thursday night. As soon as he was gone, I started packing. The next morning, Vi dressed like she was going to school, but she and her cousin picked me up and drove me to the bank where I took out all of my Mom's money. Then they drove me to the airport in Ashville, and I bought a ticket to London. I flew from Ashville to Nashville to New York to London. When I got here, I took a cab to Maman Mildred's house and knocked on the door. Some other woman answered. I asked her if she knew where Mildred Price was. She said that an old woman had lived here, but she had died the year before. So I was here, in a foreign country, with nowhere to go, no way to get a job, and absolutely no chance that I would go back home to 'that man'.

I lived in youth hostels at first, claiming that I was a college student. After the money went, I wandered around the streets. Paid attention to what other people were doing. Learned how to beg. All my plans had fallen through, so I just lived from day to day. You know how that is."

Shawna nodded, "Yeah, I know how that is."

"I'm thirsty with all this talking, you must be too."

"Yeah, I am," Shawna said, "And I was hoping that I could talk you into letting me take a shower."

"Well, I don't know," Maddy said, "Like I said, I'm just a guest here. Why don't you go to the shelter. I think that I can talk my friend Abby into letting you use hers."

"Nah, I don't do shelters," Shawna said, "Charity is just another way for folks to control you, isn't it now?"

"So, is that what you think I'm trying to do? Control you?"

"Oh no Miss, I didn't mean you. You just needed a little help. That's not the same. All I was saying is that when people give you money, they want something back. They want gratitude, or some say in how you'll use it. You know, _'don't you use that to go drinking, or smoking or shooting up in an alley,_' they'd say, like it's any of their business. How do they know what I need anyway? God knows I need a drink sometimes."

"Speaking of drinks, let me go downstairs and get us some," Maddy said as she unfolded her legs. She rose off of the bed and put on her slippers, then she slipped her arms into her coat and went out of the door into the hallway. When she looked down the stairs, she saw John sitting on the step.

"How long have you been listening?" she asked.

John looked up at her. "You know that when you open the front door, it makes a draft. I heard the two of you come upstairs. I may not seem that way, but I am fairly suspicious by nature. I followed you."

"So you were here the entire time?"

"Yes."

"Oh," Maddy said and started past him to get the water.

John reached out a hand and touched her arm. She sat down beside him. "The reason that I didn't ask about your past...It wasn't that I didn't care, Maddy. I figured that you'd tell me when you wanted to. I know it's been a long time, but...I'm sorry about your Mom. I'm sorry that she had to leave you before either of you were ready to part. I just wanted to say that you take after her. You said that she was kind. Well, you are too. Most people wouldn't take a woman in off of the street like you did. You see, the people who we lose to death. We don't really lose them because...they help make us who we are, so in a sense, they are always part of us. Your Mom is part of you now, just like Sherlock is a part of me. We are different people because we knew them.

And tell Shawna that she is perfectly welcome to use the shower, and to wash her clothes here if she wants."

"John, thank you. But, what will she wear while I'm washing her clothes? She's bigger than I am."

"I've got some old things of Sherlock's. She can wear one of his bathrobes."

"No! We can't use his things. He doesn't like that."

"Oh Maddy, It's not like he is around to complain about it. I'll go get one."

"No! I mean, thank you, John, but I'll find something else."

Maddy started back down the stairs. She turned at the landing, and looked up at John. He was looking at his hands and smiling softly. Maddy's eyes watered. _"John is kind too,"_ she thought,_ "I hope that it won't be long. Soon, soon you'll see him again."_

Maddy turned away then, and continued on to the kitchen.


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning, Maddy awoke to her phone ringing. Abby had gotten a call from Gabe's father. He was working a double shift and he wanted that babysitter back, so Shawna and Maddy braved the morning cold to go there. Maddy left Shawna in the house with Gabe and enough pasta for both lunch and dinner. Before he left, she asked Gabe's father for the phone number the owner of the building.

As she was walking back to the shelter, her phone beeped.

**[Do you have the clothes? 0]**

**[Not yet]** she texted back.

**[Then get them and meet me outside of the post office at noon.]**

She hurried in to the shelter and asked Abby about the clothes. She didn't have anything appropriate in her box, but she suggested going to an area not far away that was frequented by office workers. As Maddy walked down the ramp in front of the shelter, a black car arrived. Maria rolled down the window and waved. "Good morning Maddy," she said, "I was so surprised when I came to work to be told that we were going shopping once again. Thank you for inviting me."

Maddy smiled. She pulled out her phone and texted Mycroft.

**[Thanks]**

Maria was a pro at finding stores and shops. She even found heavy black glasses for Maddy to wear, so she was dressed in new clothes, and a heavy black felt coat when she left the car braving the cold breeze to slide on her black flats into the post office on _High Hoborn._

As she stood near the wall looking at the queue, a man walked up beside her. "Hello Maddy" he said. She had to look at him twice to realize that it was Sherlock.

He was wearing a crisp white shirt, and a dark suit with a light plaid weave. His hair was slicked back and grey. He was slightly balding on top. He wore a gold wedding ring on his right hand, and a silver watch with a black face. His shoes were polished to a shine, and his glasses were black on top and clear on the bottom like something out of a sixties movie. He passed a card to Maddy. It had her picture on it and a fake name. The words HM Revenue and Customs were printed on the top.

"What's this?" she asked.

"We are auditors from inland revenue," Sherlock replied, "come, my cab is here."

They walked out and jumped into a waiting taxi which pulled away through traffic.

"Where are we going?" Maddy whispered to Sherlock to avoid the driver hearing.

"To the home of one Jonah Reed. A wealthy business and political hopeful who is currently being audited. I think that he was the one that Blackwell was talking about."

"So what will we do?"

"Not we, you. You will find the badge that they use to identify their members."

"But I don't know..."

"You must find it Maddy if we are to get to that boy in time."

"Do you think that he's still alive?"

"Definitely. He was taken for a reason. Usually they chose children from other countries. Easier to hide the trail that way. They took a risk with this boy. He must have been ... a special request."

"A special request?" Maddy said, "You say that like someone is ordering a sweet for desert."

"That is exactly what I think is happening," Sherlock said, "and I don't think that he'll be tasted until after the banquet which is this weekend, so we need to find him now."

Maddy took a deep breath, "I'll try," she said as they pulled into a neighborhood full of fancy townhomes. They climbed out and Sherlock walked to the door. His entire body language was different. He hunched a bit as if used to spending long hours at a desk. His glasses fell down on the tip of his nose making his eyes look large. He rang the door, and a man opened. "Can I help you?"

Sherlock flashed his card, "Inland revenue. Is this Mr. Jonah Reed that I am speaking to?"

"Yes, but I've already had someone come to my office. They said that they had what they needed."

"Well 'someone' spoke prematurely. There are one or two of your personal files that we have to take a look at. May we come in?"

For a moment it seemed that he would say no, then he stepped aside and Sherlock and Maddy walked in.

The entry was large and impressive with Marble flooring and an elegant stairwell. "Can you show us to your office?" Sherlock asked, and the man walked around the stairwell and through a polished wood door into a small office.

Despite its size, it was beautiful and extravagant. The ceilings were high and lined with patterned blue wallpaper. There was a large fish tank filled with ocean fish. Books lined two walls of the room. There was a wraparound desk, and three paneled filing cabinets. The man stood in front of the desk pressing his hand possessively on its surface, "What do you want?" he asked.

"It's just a small matter," Sherlock said, his voice high and irritating, "You purchased a vehicle in two thousand and nine, an automobile. Do you have the bill of sale?"

"Somewhere," he said.

"Where exactly. In one of these file drawers?"

"No, actually, I think that I keep that in the safe in my room. You stay here, I'll go up and get it."

Reed walked out of the door. The moment that he had left the room, Sherlock was at his desk opening drawers and picking up paperweights and looking for hidden doors.

"Maddy, do you see anything that could be the badge? Something that was in that other desk."

Maddy looked on the desk, "I don't recognize anything," she said.

"Sherlock pulled out the desk calendar from his drawer and opened it. There was a piece of white ribbon holding the place for that weekend. He looked at the date. "As I suspected, he's planning to attend the event. He either has the badge in this room, or in that safe. I'll break into the safe if I have to, but I don't think that he'd put it there. The badge has to be something that no one would think twice about, or it wouldn't work. Sherlock ran his finger across the surface of the books on the shelf. He pulled out the ones that seemed the most used and flipped through them."

Maddy looked around. The fish tank dominated the room. It glowed blue with little fluorescent colored fake coral. She looked at the drawer at the pencils and pens. She eyed the stapler. She couldn't see any twine or wire. There were scissors, but they were a totally different design from the ones on in the penthouse apartment. She put her fingers to her temples and shut her eyes, "think think!" she said, but she saw nothing.

"We only have moments till he comes back Maddy, concentrate!" Sherlock hissed.

Maddy tried to visualize the desk that she had seen. She remembered opening the drawer. The photograph of Alexopoulos, the kindly old man, and the other things..."The ribbon," she said, "there was white ribbon in the drawer."

Sherlock reached over the desk to snatch the ribbon out of the calendar. He turned on the desk lamp and held it up to the light. "Maddy, turn off the light will you?" he asked. She did, and he shone the lamp through it. "It looks like ordinary ribbon," Sherlock said. He rose, waving the ribbon in frustration when he suddenly stopped and narrowed his eyes. He took the ribbon and held it near the fishtank. Then he pulled off the lid of the tank.

"Sherlock! What are you doing?" Maddy asked.

"Look," he said, "What do you see?"

Maddy looked at the white ribbon as the black light shown through it. There was, every inch or so along the surface, imprinted in glowing script, a capital letter A.

"This is it," Sherlock said, "This is the badge, I'm certain of it."

Sherlock rushed over to the desk and snipped off a piece of the ribbon which he slipped into his pocket. He put the rest of the ribbon back into the calendar, and put it away. Then he set about straightening everything that he had touched.

Maddy tried to push the lid back onto the fishtank. She got it into place just as Reed came back to show them the document. Sherlock looked it over carefully before dictating some numbers to her that she dutifully jotted down in a notebook. He then gave the form back to Reed and walked out.

They exited the cab in front of an office building. Maddy followed Sherlock inside one door and out of another. They entered the subway, and went three stops before exiting and going into a department store to change clothes. As Maddy came out of the women's bathroom, a hand pulled her into a supply closet. It was Sherlock. They stood chest to chest in the cramped space among the mops and toilet tissue. "Maddy give me your phone," Sherlock said.

Maddy gave him her phone, and he took out the battery and the chip replacing it with another. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm resetting your phone to the factory settings," he said.

"But I had numbers on that phone!" Maddy replied.

"You'll have to get them again. Now that John knows that you worked for me, he'll want to know everything that you do. He could get your phone. He could find out about me...about me being alive. That can't happen, Maddy. It absolutely can not happen."

"But what if I need to call you?"

"There will be no more calling, Maddy. No more talking, no more visits. I'm setting you loose."

"What do you mean, loose?"

"I'll still be working on the case on my own. If you wish to continue working on it, you must do it with the resources that you have. Lestrade, the people that you know, and John. I won't be seeing you again, at least not until I am able to officially come back to life."

He handed the phone back to Maddy. She looked at the blank screen. "But?"

"But nothing Maddy." Sherlock said, "It was a mistake to contact you at all really. Sentimentality on my part. A desire to have someone recognize me. To have some way to know what was going on with John, but things are too close now. We can't have any more slip ups. Thank you for what you've done, Maddy, but you have only one thing to remember about me now."

"What is that?" Maddy asked looking up into his eyes which in this light were dark.

"Only remember...that I am dead."

He opened the door handle and slipped out, closing the door behind him, and leaving her alone in the darkened closet.


	16. Chapter 16

It was with a slightly uncertain step that Maddy walked back to the threshold of 221B Baker street. She looked around, but Shawna was not there. Before, she hadn't worried so much about Sherlock's warning that she was being watched, because she knew some of the people who were watching. Shawna was there, and Mycroft through the cameras, but now she thought of the others. There were people in the city playing an elaborate game, a life or death game where innocent people could get hurt.

There were strings connecting the people watching John to the kidnapped boy, like the strings on Sherlock's wall, and now she had to try to unravel it alone. She put her face in her hands and bowed her head. What was she playing at? What was she getting involved in? Maybe this was one of those times when she should pay attention to her instincts, the ones that she never noticed until too late. They told her to grab Eliza and run back to Manchester. If she was quick enough, she could talk them into not dropping her from the roster. Classes would have started by now. Her pastry class had had a waiting list. They would give another student her slot if she didn't return soon.

She imagined turning and walking to the bus stop, but her feet felt rooted to the spot. The truth was that she couldn't go. She couldn't just forget the boy and go on with her life like a typical, oblivious, ordinary person. The hardships of her life had changed her. She knew what it was like to fear. She knew what it was like to be kidnapped. She had been kidnapped before, twice by the anarchists, and twice by Mycroft himself. Each time that she realized that she was caught, a dark fear had filled her. She had felt sure that she would die. What must it be like for a child?

Maddy treasured her childhood like a pearl necklace. She held onto her precious memories as if they could save her life, and they had. What must it be like to grow up a captive, held by people who had already beaten and raped his older brother? Michael must be terrified now. Hoping beyond hope that someone would remember him.

In the dark of Vibha's bedroom, while leaning against her mirrored pillows, she had told her about _Dharma_. She said that _Dharma_ was like fate, but it was more than that. It was following the part of you that told you what it was right for you to do. Most of the things that Vi had told her had gone straight over her head, but _Dharma_ had taken a hold of her. She had known in her heart, for example that even though the world was full of suffering, it was not her _Dharma_ to remain under the thumb of her mother's husband. She had left her former home behind in the hope that her way would become clear in time.

Even so, her trials and travels had seemed random to her, never having a purpose or a destination, yet now the call was clear. If she were to walk away and that child died, the blood would be on her hands as surely as if she had killed him herself. She was the one in the middle, the holder of secrets, the one who could see, the one who could feel. No one else cared as much as she did, not even the boy's father. Perhaps his brother, Gabriel, was the closest, but he was still a child. She noticed her hand was shivering from the cold. She had been standing outside the door for several minutes. She took one last look around and turned the knob to enter.

She closed the door and looked at Mrs Hudson's door, but she was too shaken to get Eliza now. She decided that she would put her new clothes in her suitcase. She walked up the seventeen steps and looked into the flat to find that John was not alone. Lestrade was sitting with him at the kitchen table. They looked up at her as she entered.

"There she is," John said, "Good. Could you tell Lestrade what you told me, about you and Sherlock?"

Maddy's mind raced. What had she said about Sherlock? She knew that she had not revealed that he was alive. Had John found out? "Uh...What?" Maddy said.

"Never mind. I'll tell him."John said, "Maddy told me that she was part of Sherlock's homeless network."

Lestrade turned toward her. "Oh, really? That explains the purse," he said. "The food, the things that she held on to looked like someone who moved a lot."

"But that isn't all," John said. "Sherlock asked her to watch me."

"Watch you, John. But why?"

"That doesn't matter, what matters is that he asked her to do it before he jumped," John said. "He was trying to tell us something. To tell me something. Something about Moriarty. I've been doing some searching and I found some surprising things. The charity (WASF) used to be legitimate. It brought kids to England, sent them to school to learn English, and then sent them back to their home countries. Many of them went on to get good jobs there. Some remained here and went to University, just as they advertise, but that all changed at about the same time that Moriarty started spreading his net in London.

"I think that Moriarty consulted on how to change this charity. That he told them how to hide themselves in plain sight, and who to bribe...or blackmail. It must be someone high up for them to have kept hidden for so long.

"So I did a little investigating on my own. I snuck into the hospital closest to the school, and searched their records for children with injuries, beatings, suspected rape, etc. and I found some."

John pulled out some papers and placed them in front of Lestrade. "I was able to find five separate cases of children with severe beatings being treated. It is a requirement for these cases to be reported to the police, but they were not. You can see right here where the details should have been recorded and there is nothing."

Lestrade picked up the file and narrowed his eyes. "Who is this Dr. Waters who signed the reports?"

"He was the night manager in the Emergency room. They all came in the middle of the night, and they all came to him."

"Then we need to pay him a visit," Lestrade said.

"He's gone to Glasgow, that's what the nurses say, but I called the hospital that he supposedly transferred to, and he never worked there."

"These were dated from six months to a year ago, and none of them were filed? One doctor in a hospital wouldn't be enough to keep this quiet. There must be someone in the police station as well. This smells of deep rooted conspiracy," Lestrade said, "But finding Moriarty's agents in the police is going to take some time."

"We don't have any time!" Maddy said. "Whatever is going to happen to Michael will probably happen tomorrow."

John and Lestrade turned to Maddy. "How do you know that?" John asked, "Tell us what you know."

Maddy covered her eyes as she tried to figure out what she could safely say. "The homeless network is not dead. I met someone today. He told me that tomorrow night is the night of their big charity event. It is at the school, and it is invitation only. To get in you need a special token, a white ribbon emblazoned with a letter A that can only be seen under black light. I believe that whoever kidnapped Michael will be planning to ...use him or sell him on that day. If we wait, he might have been taken out of the country or killed or something. I don't know what they plan to do with him, but there is no good reason to steal a child off of the streets."

"If that's true," John said, "Then we should have a raid. Surround the school and go in and capture them in the act."

"In the act of what?" Lestrade said. "We haven't had one concrete piece of evidence that suggests that the World Angels Success Foundation is anything other than what they say they are."

"Except that no one ever sees the children," Maddy says, "And no one graduates. The school has guard dogs and scary teachers, and that the homeless are afraid of the place. That Charles Blackwell is reportedly an evil man, and the former director Alexopoulos is dead and no one has been told."

"What?" Lestrade said.

"He's dead?" John said. "Did you see the body when you went to search his flat?"

"You searched a deadman's flat?" Lestrade said.

Maddy put her hands in her hair in frustration, "We don't have time for this. We need to get into that school and save him!"

"Scotland yard," John said. " Can you organize a raid?"

"Not without enough evidence to get a warrant," he said. "And if there are spies on the force, then the word could get out. They could change their plans. Get him out earlier. I can call in some favors, get agents in from other police branches. Keep it hush, hush exactly where we are raiding, but I'm not sending anyone in to disrupt a charity function without hard evidence that something wrong is being done. "

"All we have to do is see the boy," John said. "There is a missing person's report on him. If the boy is there, will that be enough evidence?"

"If you have a positive ID and can show that he is being held against his will, then yes." Lestrade said, "But to find the boy, someone would have to go into the school, and from what Maddy tells us, that is not an easy task."

"But tomorrow, many people will be going into the school for the charity event. We can get in then."

"I run a charity, I'll go," Maddy said.

"NO!"

"Absolutely not!" Lestrade and John said together.

"You have Eliza to take care of, Maddy" John said. "I'll go. I already have a tuxedo."

"John," Lestrade said, "this is dangerous. If they find out what you're doing, you could die."

John looked at Lestrade and a slow smile came over his face. "About bloody time," he said. "I was afraid that I would waste away before I found something worth doing."


	17. Chapter 17

Maddy filled Mrs Hudson's freezer with pumped breast milk and then gave Eliza a big hug and a kiss. Mrs Hudson gave her a stern look. "Now Maddy dear, you aren't planning to do anything dangerous are you?" she said. "I've seen that look before but never on your face."

"Goodbye Mrs Hudson. Take care of Eliza, and I'll be back as soon as I can," Maddy said.

A black car pulled up to the front of 221B, and she got into the back. She drove through the city watching the buildings pass by through the tinted windows. The car descended into a parking garage and through a gate before parking next to another black car that was waiting there. Maddy got out of the car, and walked across the lot. The chauffeur opened the door, and she climbed into the seat, then she leaned over and kissed Mycroft on the cheek. He was frowning.

"Madeline," he began, "I want you and Eliza and come to the house tonight."

"What? Why?" she asked.

"This man Blackwell," Mycroft said. "I've been doing some research. He is a very nasty sort of man. You've been visible, too visible. He might decide to come after you or the child."

"No one knows me," Maddy said.

"You left him your name!" Mycroft said. "You called his office and left your name. Once things start happening it won't take a genius to guess that you might be involved. You don't need to endanger yourself just to please my annoying brother. You told me that he would never ask his agents to endanger themselves for a case."

"This isn't his case, Mycroft, this is mine," Maddy said. "Sherlock has cut me off entirely. You could say that I've been fired, but this is personal. A boy has been kidnapped! I know his brother. I know his father. I'm going to be involved in this."

Mycroft's eyes became sharp, and he stared down his nose at her like a bird of prey. "Now Mycroft," she said, "I know that look. You don't have to try and stop me. I am not going into that school, John is. He will find the boy. When he does, he will call Lestrade and they will raid the place."

"He plans to call Lestrade over a public phone channel?" Mycroft said incredulously. "Who planned this?"

"We just came up with it last night," Maddy said. "We didn't have a lot of time to plan, but John's going to see if he can talk his way in, so I came for the ribbon. Sherlock told me that he would make a replica. You have it don't you?"

Mycroft's raised an eyebrow, "So John Watson plans to walk straight into this lion's den, and he supposes that they will simply let him walk out again? It is as I suspected. He IS suicidal."

"This is the plan, Mycroft. What else can we do? The event is tonight! Do you have a better plan?"

Mycroft's eyes moved toward her, and then down. He sat very still. Maddy started to talk but then shut her mouth when she saw him. He was thinking. She waited for his computations to cease.

Mycroft's eyes rose again. He reached inside his jacket, pulled out a strip of white ribbon, and passed it to her. "Have Doctor Watson go to the hospital at the regular time as if it is a normal day at work. We will intercept him on the way. You must get his tuxedo. Act as if you are taking it to be drycleaned. Joe will pick you up and take you to him."

"And Eliza?"

"Someone will be dispatched to watch her. "

"Thank you," Maddy said. Mycroft's face was outwardly cold, but she could see concern in the depths of his eyes. She leaned over and cradled his head in her arms then she kissed his hair. "I'll be careful," she said. "Don't worry so much. Eliza and I will be fine." Then she gave him a peck on the lips and slid out of the car. When she looked back at him, his expression had softened. She smiled and went back to climb into the other car.

Later Maddy and John stood in a hotel room while an agent glued a tiny microphone and camera onto John Watson's skin. Mycroft had not changed their plans in any great respect, he had simply increased their level of surveillance. Lestrade and Mycroft would both be able to see and record everything that John did.

The agent placed a laptop in her hand. It was heavy with the word _tufbook_ imprinted on the top. A frowning man with a earpiece told her, "Take this to the Detective inspector. It is encrypted. It will allow you to communicate with Doctor Watson and see what he sees. The operation will begin at 21:10 exactly. "

Maddy nodded at the man and put on her white cap. She was wearing workman's coveralls. She left the hotel room and walked down the stairs leaving the hotel out of the emergency exit. The alarm had been disabled. Then she took the tube. She climbed up the stairs at her destination and looked around her suspiciously as she walked down the sidewalk. She passed under the street lamps. Unlike most people, she sped up when she was under the lights and slowed down in the darkness. She didn't want to be seen or noticed.

Lestrade was in a phone van three blocks from the entrance to the school. The other road was blocked conveniently by construction so that all school traffic was routed past it. Maddy walked up to the back of the van and knocked. The door was opened and she climbed in.

The inside of the van was full of monitors. One showed CCTV camera data of the traffic on the street. One was hooked up to the police records database. They scanned the license plate of every car that pulled into the drive and looked up the owner's names. Some of them were quite surprising: Politicians, actors, noted barristers, store executives. Maddy's frown deepened. She received a call. It was from Shawna.

"Shawna, what is it?"

"It's Gabe," she said. "He's run away. I can't find him. Can you help me look for him?"

Maddy looked back at the screens. "I'm sorry, Shawna, I'm in the middle of something that can't wait. You keep looking and keep me informed."

"There!" Lestrade said pointing to a car stopped at the gate. "That man has a ribbon. But is that enough to get in?"

"I'm sorry, Shawna, I've got to go," she said and hung up.

Lestrade had given the laptop to a dark haired man with a beard. He turned to Lestrade and said, "I can't read the screen, all of the data is encrypted and it's asking for a password."

Maddy's phone beeped. She had a message.

**[colloid -0]**

Maddy smiled. It was good to know that Sherlock hadn't completely abandoned her. He and John would finally be working on a case together again, although John wouldn't know that. "Colloid." she said. "That's the password."

He typed in the code, and some screens popped up. One was video of the inside of a car from the point of view of someone driving. One had a bouncing signal that looked like a sound file. There was a stream of cursing coming out of the speakers. The bearded man turned down the sound. She recognized the voice as John's.

_"...bloody, directions are these? How do they expect me to get to the place. It's not like I've driven a bloody car since Afghanistan for God sake and that was a friggin jeep on dirt roads not the bloody M3 what do they mean by 'You're behind schedule?' Christ! I can't control the bloody traffic..."_

"John, can you hear me?" Lestrade said into the microphone.

The camera moved as John looked around for the sound. "Lestrade, is that you? Yes, I can hear you. Can you watch the volume. They say that the sound won't carry, but it makes my teeth vibrate when you talk too loud."

"Alright, John. Where are you?"

"I'm about to take the exit. Where are you?"

"A few blocks from the school. I have people all around the place but we're holding back, staying out of sight until you find us some evidence."

"Alright," John said, "I'm following the signs. They've got this fancy GPS. I think Mycroft must have programmed it because it keeps using my name. Oh here I am. Are you in the phone van?"

A black and white camera image showed a white car approaching. John was driving, a very expensive Luxury sedan. "Here I go, wish me luck!" he said as he pulled in front of the tall metal gate. A man walked out of a booth, and John rolled down the window. He leaned out and showed the guard something concealed in his hand. The man opened the gate with a push of a button and then waved him through.

"It's alright, I'm in," John's voice on the radio said.

He drove up the long driveway. Ahead, in front of a tall square building there were bright lights and a circle drive. Off to the right far back beside the reservoir were a row of low buildings huddled in a circle with no windows.

"Looks like they have valet parking. I don't know if I can keep talking when I get around people. They told me that if I text on this phone that they've given me that you can see it. I'm going to try in a minute. Here they come."

John stopped the car, "Sir?" a tall man in a valet uniform said. John climbed out of the car and handed the keys to the man who was more than a head taller than him and looked as if he could lift cars with one arm. His partner was thinner, but his narrow eyes made him look like some dangerous carnivorous animal. One lip rose higher than the other as he tried to grin. The large man climbed into the car and drove off, while the other man opened the door letting him into the building.


	18. Chapter 18

John walked into a lobby. A smiling pig-faced woman sat behind a desk waiting for him to approach. There were other people on the edges of the room in ones and twos. Most avoided eye contact. John pulled out his phone.

_Are you recevng?_ he typed._ Keyboard too sml_

"Yes we're receiving, John," Lestrade said in a low voice.

A man walked up to the desk, and the woman looked up his name on a list.

_Game is up. They have a list of names, _John texted.

Maddy's phone beeped.

**[He is Joseph VanBuren - 0]**

"Tell him his name is Joseph Vanburen," Maddy said.

"Your name is Joseph Van Buren," Lestrade said into the mic.

John walked up to the desk.

"Welcome," the woman said, "your name?"

"Uh..Joseph VanBuren."

She looked down the list and made a check next to the name. She handed a card to John. The number fifty three was printed on one side, a list of instructions were on the other.

"The bidding will be done on our auction site. The web address and your login instructions are on the card. Do you have a good internet connection on your phone? If not, we can loan you one."

"No, I'll be fine," John said.

"Then go right through that door. You'll find that your seat is marked."

"Uh...thank you," John said as he walked toward the door. He stood in the darkened doorway and texted.

_Did you get that?_

"Yes we heard it all and it's being recorded," Lestrade said into the microphone. "Remember, we have to see the boy before we can go in."

John looked around the room. It was an auditorium that could easily seat three hundred, but there were less than thirty people in the room. The numbers on the chairs were spaced out so that no one sat too near anyone else. Although there were some people who clustered together talking quietly, most people sat alone. He looked up and saw a series of balconies. They were surrounded by crimson curtains that served to conceal the faces of those inside while allowing them to see the stage.

The stage floor was black. The closed curtains were red. There was a runway projecting out into the crowd. Many of the numbered seats were clustered around the runway. One woman who was oddly wearing a monocle laughed at something said by an white-haired man wearing white cotton gloves.

John made his way across to the chair marked fifty three and sat down just as the lights began to dim. The stage lights rose and a man walked out. John recognized him from the photos. It was Mr. Charles Blackwell.

"Welcome my fine patrons to the _World Angel's Success Foundations Sponsorship Auction_. We have a wonderful selection for you this evening. Remember that bids for major student sponsorships will only be taken through our online system. After the show, we will proceed to the lounge for cocktails where you can meet some of our students first hand and you can schedule part-time sponsorships. If you have any difficulty with the system, the ushers will be happy to assist you. That being said, let the show begin!" The man raised his hand and the curtain began to open.

The back of the stage showed a painted seascape. Sultry music rose and a child walked onto the stage. She was about nine years old with curly blond hair under a large pink sun hat. She wore a pink two piece swim suit, and was carrying a red and white beach ball She walked up the runway with a big smile on her red, red lips.

The crowds eyes followed her as she walked down the length of the runway. She put the beach ball under one arm revealing her tanned bikini-clad flat chest and she curtseyed before walking slowly back down the aisle. A big number one hung from a sign across her bottom. There was a flurry of activity as people pushed buttons on their phones. One man was typing on a laptop. John looked down at the open website page. A number one was on the screen. The current bid was displayed. The number kept rising. John's teeth clenched, and his hand squeezed the phone so hard that his palm paled to white.

In the van, everyone was clustered around the feed. The realization of what they were watching slowly dawning on them. The man from in front of the cctv screens who had a cap on that read "World's Greatest Dad" clasped his stomach and said, "That girl is about the age of my daughter. I think I'm going to be sick."

In the dark auditorium John muttered under his breath, "Get in here and stop this thing."

Lestrade put his hands over the microphone to cover the sound of retching as the van's door slowly closed, then he leaned forward and said, "I'm sorry John. There's nothing here that's actionable. For all we know, they are paying for scholarships for the students, and this is a fashion show. Until you see the missing boy or someone offers you sex for money there is nothing obviously criminal here."

"It's obviously criminal from where I'm sitting," John said.

"Just look for the boy," Lestrade said.

Maddy glared at the tiny screen looking for Gabriel's brother. She didn't know if she would recognize him. Everyone seemed to be wearing stage makeup. So she tried to look at the eyes. Michael's eyes were an unusually deep shade of green.

A boy in tight blue shorts and a striped shirt walked down the aisle next. He was holding a soccer ball. His hair was the wrong color. He was followed by two girls with long black hair identically dressed in red. They were holding hands. The bearded man turned away from the screen. "Are we going to just watch this happen? This is obviously..."

"This is obviously nothing," Lestrade said. "We see children walking down an aisle. We see people bidding to "sponsor" them. We see nothing that will hold up in court of law, so we keep watching."

They came one by one then, some dressed in extravagantly exaggerated children's clothes, some dressed much too old for their age. All of them had red lips and shadowed eyes, even the boys. When the last one had passed they all came back out and walked around the stage. Some people clapped. Others stared at their screens.

"He's not here. I looked at each of them carefully. He was not here," John said.

"John," Lestrade said, "You have to bid on something or it will be suspicious. Quick, the show is almost over."

John picked up the phone. His hands clenching tight around it before he consciously released it. He punched a large number in on the first entry that he could find, and then put the phone into his pocket. The children had all filed out but the lights were still low. The doors to the auditorium opened then and people began to file out. John just sat there.

"Greg, you come here and get these people, or I won't be responsible for my actions," he said.

"John, listen to me. My people can't go in without definite evidence of a crime. You need to play along until you find something. We've got the names of most of the people who are there, but you need to get some hard evidence. Keep looking around. Maybe the boy will show up."

John slowly rose to his feet. The lights had come up and most of the people had left the auditorium. He moved into the aisle and began limping toward the exit. He was directed to the next room by the pig-faced woman as well as several red-blazered ushers that looked like more bodyguards.

The lounge had round tables and crystal chandeliers. A number of people were clustered around the bar. An usher pushed a tray under his nose, and John took a glass of champagne. He walked to the very edge of the room and stood against the wall holding the glass in his left hand but refusing to take a drink. The surface of the liquid in the glass was completely flat.

A pair of doors opened and the children came out flanked by two women who gave them stern looks. They were all dressed identically in black T-shirts and shorts. They fanned out into the room and began talking to the people there. John's cold eyes darted around the room looking at the faces of the men and the few women who where there. He clenched the phone in his right hand involuntarily pushing buttons so that it beeped.

"Hello."

John looked down and saw a girl in front of him. It was the little blond girl that had first come on the stage. "Mr VanBuren? My name is Eleanor but you can call me Ellie."

"Uhm..." John said. "Hello, I sort of want to be alone right now if you don't mind."

"Oh," she said, "but you won the bid. You're my sponsor."

John focused on the girl's face. "And what does that mean, exactly...being your sponsor?" he asked.

"You're new here aren't you?" Ellie said, "Don't worry, I can help you. I've been here since I was six. Come with me." She took John's hand and led him toward the door through which she had come. Slightly panicked, John looked around the room for the missing boy. He held her back on the pretense of putting down his champagne glass. but he couldn't tell apart the identically dressed boys. He reached the door and Ellie began to pull him into the hallway, but he was stopped by a hand on his arm.

"Wait a minute, Ellie," Mr Blackwell said. "I need to have a word with Mr VanBuren here. Run along. "

"Yes, Principal Blackwell," she said turning away obediently. The man gave a smile like a shark. "I'm sorry but we haven't verified your finances yet, and I make it a point to talk to all of the members personally their first time here. Please join me in my office," he said.

John recognized the large men behind him as the ones that he had met at the door. He looked up and up into their hard faces, before turning to Mr Blackwell and saying, "Of course, lead the way."


End file.
